The Darkness of Destiny
by Drake Clawfang
Summary: Zane gets to earn a rematch with Aster, Alexis has reentered his life, and the Schroeders are scheming to take over Kaiba Corp again. Love, conspiracies, blackmail, dueling. No one ever said the life of a professional duelist was easy. AsterxAlexisxZane
1. Old Faces

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 1

Old Faces

"Cyberdark Dragon, attack! Dark Flare Burst!" The black monstrosity (8600, 3600) roared and fired a blast of fire. The opposing duelist let out a scream of agony as the dragon roasted 'Dark Ruler Ha Des' (2450, 1400) alive.

"And the winner, once again, is Zane Truesdale!" The announcer of the Kaiba Dome yelled. Zane sneered and crossed his arms as the holograms vanished.

"Don't sound so surprised," He scoffed, turning to leave the arena. Of _course_ he won. In the past two years since graduating Duel Academy, he was unstoppable. Barring, naturally, that little losing streak when he first entered the Pro Leagues. But that was behind him. He was on one of the longest win streaks in the history of the leagues, and he wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"Very impressive victory, Mr. Truesdale." Zane stopped and turned to stare at the black-cloaked man standing in the shadows of the bleachers.

"What are you doing here, Shroud?" Zane demanded. The man, who referred to himself as 'Mr. Shroud', chuckled.

"Why, is that any way to say hi to old friends Zane? I thought you'd be glad to see me after all I've done for you."

"You did your job, and I kicked you to the curb, Shroud. Now answer my question before I call security and watch you run like a coward," Zane threatened. "Did you come to annoy me or what?"

"Saying hi to you was a nice bonus, seeing as how you fired me after I worked so hard on you to restart your career so long ago," Shroud said, a hint of anger in his voice. "But tonight I'm here for another reason. Word on the street is there's another Duel Academy graduate fighting their first duel tonight, and I can't pass up another opportunity to take another student under my wing, considering how the first one turned out."

"Whatever," Zane muttered, rolling his eyes. "I have better things to do."

"I think it would be in your best interests to stay, Mr. Truesdale," Shroud called.

"Oh? And why should I care if you hire another lackey?" Zane replied, walking away.

"And now, entering the arena, the current champion of the Professional Leagues, Aster Phoenix!" Zane stopped dead in his tracks at the distant sound of the announcer. Aster…the bastard that had cost him his career in the first place. What the hell was he doing there?

"Aster Phoenix?" Shroud muttered, tapping his chin. "My my, that name certainly sounds familiar," He said, smiling. "Do you recall that name at all, Mr. Truesdale?"

"And his opponent, in her premiere Professional Leagues, Duel Academy's number one graduate, Alexis Rhodes!" Zane's eyes widened slightly. Alexis? He hadn't seen her in years, not since graduating himself. When he had returned to Duel Academy for the Genex tournament, he had heard she had joined some sort of strange cult, but didn't see it for himself.

"This ought to be interesting. Let's see if she has what it takes to do what you couldn't," Shroud said. He noticed movement and looked out of the corner of his eye to see Zane step back into the arena. "I thought you didn't care, Mr. Truesdale. Change of heart?"

"Shove it, Shroud," Zane snapped. On the dueling arena, Aster and Alexis had shuffled each other's decks and were stepping back into their places at either end of the arena. Alexis hadn't changed much. Besides the obvious changes, of course, she was taller, her hair was longer, etc. She wore her Obelisk Blue uniform like always, but had a dark blue jacket on over the top and a longer blue skirt. Aster was the same cocky jackass he always was. At least he looked that way to Zane, but then, he was biased. He still had on the grey suit he so favored, but his grey hair was longer, shoulder length, and tied up into a ponytail. Aster also wore a small round, black stone around his neck, a golden "D" emblazoned on it.

"Ready to throw down?" Aster called, turning on his Duel Disk.

"Bring it on!" Alexis countered.

"And now let the duel begin!" The announcer called. The crowd cheered as Alexis and Aster drew their cards.

-Alexis LP: 4000, Aster LP: 4000-

"Ladies first," Alexis said, drawing. "I summon 'Blade Skater' (1400, 1500) in attack mode. And I'll also place two cards face-down to end my turn."

"A solid opening play by Alexis Rhodes, but with a normal monster in attack mode, Aster better be careful of falling into a trap," The announcer yelled.

"My move then," Aster said. "And I'll start with my own two cards face-down, and a monster in defense mode." The holographic cards blinked into place on Aster's field. "And next I'll throw down the Spell card 'Graceful Charity'. So now I draw three cards and discard two more." Aster drew and quickly discarded two of the other cards he had gotten. "That's all for now."

"Really?" Alexis asked. "Then I'll play 'Machine Angel Ritual', and sacrifice my Blade Skater and my 'Cyber Tutu' to summon 'Cyber Angle Dakini' (2700, 2400). And when she's summoned, she destroys 1 monster on your field. Take it away Dakini!" Dakini fired a ray of white light. Aster raised his Duel Disk as a shield as his monster bit the dust.

"I play 'Destiny Mirage'!' Aster said. "Now that a Destiny Hero was destroyed by a card effect, I can call it right back to my field. So meet 'Destiny Hero – Fear Monger' (1000, 1000)."

"Well the reunion won't last long. Dakini, destroy his monster again!" Dakini leapt into the air and slammed her foot in Fear Monger, who doubled over and collapsed before exploding.

"Thank you. You've set off my Trap 'Destiny Signal'!" Aster said. "So now I can summon any Destiny Hero I want from my deck. Like for instance, 'Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude' (1400, 1600)."

"Go ahead, it's still not strong enough to beat my Cyber Angel," Alexis pointed out. "So I'll end my turn."

"It seems Alexis is taking the lead, but Aster didn't become Pro League champion by sitting around. She'd better be ready for anything," The announcer said

"I'll bet she's not ready for this!" Aster cried, drawing. "Because now the effect of the monster in my Graveyard activates. Remember when I played Graceful Charity? I discarded two cards, one of which happens to be 'Destiny Hero – Dasher'. And now that he's in the Graveyard, whenever I draw a monster, I can call him to the field right away."

"So fine, what did you draw?" Alexis asked. Aster smiled and flipped his card over to show her. Alexis gasped. "Oh no!"

"That's one of Aster's best monsters!" The announcer cried, jumping out of his seat.

"I guess this match is open and shut," Shroud chuckled. Beside him, Zane watched silently.

"Come on out 'Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster' (?,?)!" Aster announced. The muscular Hero card, that reminded Alexis of a cross between the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Man in the Iron Mask, leapt onto Aster's field with a roar. "And now, to demonstrate why he's the master of dread. His special ability lets me summon any two Destiny Heroes in my Graveyard. Like 'Captain Tenacious' (800, 800), and 'Dasher (2100, 1000). And next, Captain Tenacious' effect kicks in! He lets me summon any Destiny Hero you destroyed last turn. So welcome back my 'Fear Monger' (1000, 1000)." Aster's five Destiny Heroes descended to the field as Alexis stepped back.

"Next I'll activate Diamond Dude's special ability, and look at the top card of my deck. And if it happens to be a Spell card, I can discard it to use it next turn." Aster flipped up the card. "And what do you now, it's 'Terraforming'. I'll store it in my Graveyard for later. And back in the present day, I'll sacrifice Diamond Dude, Captain Tenacious, and Fear Monger. Now I can summon 'Destiny Hero – Dogma' (3400, 2400). And just to wrap up this festival of summons, I'll play 'Monster Reborn' to revive Diamond Dude, and sacrifice him to bring out 'Destiny Hero – Double Dude' (1000, 1000)"

"Remarkable, Aster just called out his best monsters in the same turn! I've never seen anything like it! Now you folks know why they pay the kid the big bucks!" The announcer yelled.

"Oh, and don't think my Dreadmaster is gonna stand still. His points are equal to the combined points of all the Destiny Heroes on my field," Aster said, jerking a thumb at the monster in question. Dreadmaster beat his chest as his points skyrocketed (6500, 4400).

"Okay, Dreadmaster, send that Angel back to the afterlife!" Aster commanded. Dreadmaster leapt up and slammed a fist into Cyber Angle Dakini. Alexis covered her eyes as the monster exploded in a blast of dust.

-Alexis LP: 200, Aster LP: 4000-

"And now for my other monsters! Attack her directly!" Aster said. Dasher, Double Guy and Dogma ran towards Alexis.

"I reveal my face down card 'Scapegoat'!" Alexis cried. Four colored lambs appeared in front of her. "My Spell card calls four Sheep Tokens into play to block your attacks."

"Fine then, destroy all four of them!" Aster replied. The three Heroes each attacked a Token, while Double Dude bashed two of them with his cane. "You only bought yourself a turn. You're good, but not good enough to beat me." Aster said.

"We'll see," Alexis spat. "It's my turn now."

"Hold on. You forgot, Dogma has a special effect too. Every turn, he cuts your Life Points in half." Aster called. "Take it away Dogma!" A purple beam of energy engulfed Alexis, who let out a scream of agony.

-Alexis LP: 100, Aster LP: 4000-

"This can't be more one sided! Aster has all of his best monsters on the field and full Life Points, while Alexis is down to only 100! It seems this duel is over before it even began!" The announcer called.

"Not yet its not!" Alexis said, drawing. "I play 'Pot of Greed' to draw two more cards from my deck. Then I summon 'Cyber Petite Angel'. And when it's on the field, I can move 1 Machine Angel Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand." Alexis took her deck out from her Duel Disk and fanned it out.

"What good will that do?" Aster asked.

"It's pointless, she knows she won't win. Aster's the reigning champion of the league, she couldn't beat him on her best day and his worst. Don't you agree, Zane?" Shroud asked. "After all, you've dueled Aster before, haven't you?"

"Shut your mouth before I do it for you," Zane growled, glaring at him.

"Now I play 'The Warrior Returning Alive'. It lets me revive any Warrior in the Graveyard and call it to my hand, like my Blade Skater. And next I'll play 'Machine Angel Ritual', and sacrifice Blade Skater and Cyber Petite Angel to summon 'Cyber Angle Benten' (1800, 1500)." Wielding a pair of razor-sharp fans connected to her wrists by chains, Alexis' favorite Cyber Angel descended to the field, her eyes flashing green.

"And I'll equip her with the Equip Spell 'Ritual Weapon'!" Benten held out her hand as a glowing gold crossbow appeared on it. "Now any Ritual monster on my field gets an extra 1500 points. That's a grand total of 3300! Cyber Angle Benten, destroy his Double Guy with Cyber Crossbow Blast!" Benten aimed and fired a blast of blue light in the shape of an arrow. Double Guy's cloak and hat peeled off as it was blown away. "And Benten has an effect of her own, Aster. When she destroys a monster, you take damage equal to that monster's defense points."

-Alexis LP: 100, Aster LP: 700-

"I'll set this card down and end my turn," Alexis sighed, lowering her Duel Disk.

"My turn then," Aster said, drawing. Alexis reached up to wipe a bit of sweat off her brow.

_"If he attacks, I can activate my Golden Halo Trap. It can give my Cyber Angel 300 extra points, and negates the effect of any monster it battles with. So it doesn't matter if he attacks with Dogma or Dreadmaster. 300 points can beat Dogma, and with no effect, Dreadmaster loses his power." _Alexis smiled. "Bring it on Aster!"

"You bet I will!" Aster said. "First off, I can summon these, two 'Double Dude Tokens' (1000, 1000) since you destroyed my Double Dude. Then the effect of Terraforming is activated from my Graveyard, letting me play my 'Clocktower Prison' Field Spell!" Alexis gasped and looked around as a gigantic building rose up from the ground around the arena, a large clocktower in the air behind Aster. And now, I sacrifice those two Tokens, and my Destiny Hero – Dasher, to summon this!" A pool of blood burst from Aster's Duel Disk, his monsters falling into it. The pool expanded to a large, winged form. Alexis gasped in horror as a crimson red Warrior rose from the blood.

"Meet 'Destiny Hero – Bloo D' (1900, 600)!" Aster cried. The monstrous leader of the Destiny Hero raised it hand and send a wave of blood across the field. Alexis stepped back as Benten was caught by the wave and swept towards Aster's field. "And when Bloo D is summoned, he takes an opponent's monster and absorbs it attack strength. Unfortunately your Ritual Weapon can't come for the ride, but I can deal with it." Bloo D's wing stretched as Benten was absorbed into it, losing her points to the dark hero she was now a part of (2800).

"And just to make sure I'll win, I'll throw in this Spell card 'D-Force'." A ray of red light shone from Aster's Duel Disk, illuminating the field. "This card prevents me from drawing, but as long as my Bloo D is out, your Spell, Trap, and Monster cards all have their effects negated!" Bloo D roared and held out its arm again. "Alright Bloo D, attack! Blood Wave!" Bloo D sent out a second wave of blood at Alexis. Alexis let out a scream as the crimson washed over her.

-Alexis LP: 0, Aster LP: 700

"And that's all folks, Aster Phoenix wins again! It seems that the champ simply can't be stopped!" Aster turned and left the arena as Alexis fell to her knees.

"Well, another one bites the dust," Shroud chuckled. "Excuse me, Mr. Truesdale, business calls." Shroud stepped towards the arena gates, when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Say one word to her, and you'll regret it." Zane threatened. Shroud smiled.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you care about that girl. I hope you understand that I came to this arena to enlist a new client, and I won't be living until a Duel Academy graduate is working for me," Shroud shrugged off Zane's hand.

"You want a graduate?" Zane asked. "You have one."

"Oh? And just who would you be talking about?" Shroud mocked, knowing perfectly well.

"Me," Zane growled, narrowing his eyes.

"As you so kindly put, Mr. Truesdale, you already quit, and after I worked so hard to get you back on top. Remember?" Shroud sneered, looking over his shoulder at the duelist. Zane closed his eyes. Yes. The last duel Zane Truesdale had ever fought…at least, the last duel Zane Truesdale of Duel Academy had fought. And the first duel Zane Truesdale of the Profession Ranks had won.

"I'm making you a deal, Shroud," Zane said, opening his eyes. "Stay away from Alexis, and you can consider our partnership reinstated." Zane held out his hand, and Shroud turned, eyeing the duelist carefully.

"Be warned Zane, if there's one thing Thomas F. Shroud is not, it's a two-time fool. Betray me again, and _you'll_ regret it. But in the meantime," Shroud took Zane's hand and shook firmly. "You have yourself a deal."


	2. The Truth Is In Here

Destiny of Darkness

**As a note, I differentiate a bit from the real rules here, but hey, since when is the anime itself 100 faithful?**

Chapter 2

The Truth is In Here…

"C'mon man, I need my fix, you know I'm good!" A hand came out and shoved the junkie to the street.

"Fuck off man, your word means shit," The dealer snarled, stomping away. The junkie groaned and trotted back to his friends.

"No luck dudes, we're outta the shit," He groaned. A limo pulled up in the street behind him, and the back door opened.

"We're here," Shroud smiled, stepping out, Zane followed him and looked around. This area of Domino was a major slum, home to all sorts of low-lives.

"GridIron," Shroud called. The junkie lowered his glasses and stood up.

"Shroud dude, c'mon man, not now, I got nothing," He protested. "I'll pay you when I got the cash, honest, I just gotta find a job."

"You've had a month, GI, and I'm not waiting any longer. But I am willing to offer you a deal." Shroud nodded at a rusty Duel Disk on GI's arm. It was a Generation One Disk, used years ago for the Battle City tournament. "Duel my client. Win and you're off the hook, but lose, and you owe double."

"Double or nothin'?" GI sniffed. "Deal, who's the dude I gotta face?" Zane stepped out in front of Shroud. "Ah shit man, you're da Truesdale!"

"You accepted the deal, GI, back out now and you'll forfeit the match," Shroud chuckled. GI walked a few feet down the street and turned on his Duel Disk, wincing as the old circuitry sparked slightly.

"You want me to duel him?" Zane growled.

"He owes me money, and I want to collect. Crush him and you can have half." Shroud said. "Besides, it's not like you can refuse. And it'll also be a test of that custom new Duel Disk I gave you." Zane narrowed his eyes but turned on his disk. Shroud claimed he had custom designed the dark disk himself, but Zane knew better. It reminded Zane of some sort of wrist-mounted sword, with the card slots lined along the blade. It also had the sharp point on the end to match its look. He had heard some sort of rival for Kaiba Corp had designed the disks over a decade ago. It reminded him of the Academy's Duel Disks, except a darker grey. Shroud called it a Dusk Disk.

"Alright man!" GI called. "It's like, time ta duel and all that crap."

-GridIron LP: 4000, Zane LP: 4000-

"Okay man, my turn," GI grinned. "I'll set two cards, and throw down a monster in defense." GI's cards blinked into place.

"That all? Pathetic," Zane snorted, drawing. "I activate 'Graceful Charity'. Now I draw three cards and discard two. And next I'll play 'Monster Reborn' to revive the monster I just discarded. Rise 'Raremetal Dragon' (2400, 1200)!" The large black dragon rose beside Zane with a roar. "Raremetal Dragon, attack! Metal Flame!" The dragon fired a blast of fire.

"Check it, 'Alien Grey' (300, 500). Now your monster gets a little doodad called an A-Counter." A grey-green glob of flesh appeared above Raremetal Dragon's eye. "Oh, and I can also draw a card." Zane sneered.

"Then I'll end my turn," He said.

"Rockin' start dude," GI sniffed, drawing. "Check it out, my 'Pot of Greed'. I'll draw two cards now. And here's this card called 'A-Blast'. Now all I gotta do is vape an Alien monster from my hand, and like, your monster gets an A-Counter for each star on my Alien. So like, now I'll ditch 'Alien Mars' (Level 3) to put 3 more A-Counters on your dragon, far out." The glob of flesh on Zane's monster pulsed and grew bigger, puss oozing from a hole.

"And here's 'Alien Hunter' (1600, 800). Okay Hunter dude, blast that dragon!" The alien, a green-blue lizard creature with black armor and matching trident, ran forward and threw its trident at Raremetal Dragon. "And like, whenever an Alien battles a monster with an A-Counter, your monster loses 300 points per counter. Sucks to be you man!" Raremetal Dragon roared as the trident pierced the spot above its eye, the glob of alien flesh splattering on impact. "And it gets worse, because when Alien Hunter beats a monster with an A-Counter, he can attack again. Heavy huh?" Alien Hunter charged, grabbed its trident, and slashed Zane across the chest. Zane barely flinched.

-GridIron LP: 4000, Zane LP: 2000-

"And next I'll play a trap called 'Crop Circles'. Now I can ditch my Hunter to bring out an Alien from my deck with the same level. So check it, 'Alien Warrior' (1800, 1000)!" The new alien was silver and white with a pair of wicked, hooked claws. "Okay Warrior, time ta take down Truesdale with Galaxy Slasher!" The alien roared and leapt into the air, landing behind Zane and spinning into a slash across his back.

-GridIron LP: 4000, Zane LP: 200-

"I'll set a card and call it a turn. Your move man, make it count," GI advised.

"I'm not pleased, Mr. Truesdale. You better win," Shroud warned.

"I will," Zane promised. Shroud smiled and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small remote control.

"I know you will. In case you've forgotten Mr. Truesdale, I like my clients to duel a bit more…shockingly." Shroud pressed a button on the control, and Zane's Dusk Disk beeped. He looked down at it, and gasped as a blast of electricity shot up his arm from the disk.

"What have you done?" He roared.

"A simple safeguard to ensure you don't betray me _ever_ again," Shroud sneered. "Unless you want to die, I'd keep dueling. Every time you fail me, you'll be punished." Zane spun around, his eyes flashing.

"You bastard. Get this thing off of me!" Zane commanded.

"I would, but even I can't. You see that disk has a special safeguard built in it. Try and take it off and a secret switch in the wrist will cause it to self-destruct and explode. So if I were you, I'd keep that disk on and duel a little better," Shroud warned.

"Shut up. You'll pay for this Shroud," Zane snarled, drawing. "I play 'Pot of Greed', and draw two cards. And next I'll summon 'Cyberdark Horn' (800, 800)." A long metal dragon made of black metal slithered onto Zane's field, a gigantic pair of jaws roaring at GI. "And when he's summoned, I can give him the power of a Dragon in my Graveyard, and I choose Raremetal Dragon!" Raremetal Dragon appeared and let out a cry of pain as Cyberdark Horn's loose circuits wrapped around it and ensnared it (3200, 2000). "Alright, Cyberdark Horn, attack!" Horn screeched and launched a blast of black light. GI grinned

"Activate Trap 'Alien Force Field'. Now sadly my monster stills bites the dust, but my Life Points are safe, and for every multiple of 1000 in your monster's points, it gets an A-Counter again!" Alien Warrior withered and crumpled in the heat of the blue blast. 6 globs of alien flesh appeared on the metal of Cyberdark Horn's body.

"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." Zane finished.

"Cool dude. Okay, I'll draw." GI did and grinned. "Sweet man, check this out. It's a Trap called 'Brain-Washing Beam'. It lets me control any monster with an A-Counter. Cool huh?" A ray of golden light engulfed Cyberdark Horn, and its eyes glowed red and it floated to GI's field. "And next I'll sacrifice your monster to bring out this! Check it, 'Cosmic Horror Gangi'el' (2600, 2000)." A gigantic beast with metal parts and over a dozen steel tentacles rose behind GI. It opened its massive jaws and roared at Zane. "Now my monster normally needs two Tributes, but if I'm Tributing your monster, I only need one. So Cosmic Horror, waste the pro with Solar Blast!" Gangi'el fired a ray of orange light from its mouth. "It's like, over man."

"Activate 'Power Wall'!" Zane cried. He grabbed his deck and flung the cards into the air, sparks flying from the Dusk Disk. "Now for each card I send from my deck to the Graveyard, the damage I take decreases by 100! So I'll send twenty six cards to cancel out your attack!" A wall of white light appeared around Zane and absorbed the attack.

"Weak man, real weak, that's almost your entire deck." GI sighed. "And it ain't gonna get any better, I play 'Card Drain'. Now I get 1000 Life Points, and you can draw a card." Zane rolled his eyes and drew. "And now if my math is right, you got only one card left man. Sorry, I think you lose."

"You're a fool," Zane chuckled.

"Wha?" GI gasped. Zane drew the last card in his deck with a smirk.

"I activate 'Power Bond'. Now I can fuse Machines together to bring out a new monster. And I'll also play 'Cybernetic Fusion Support'. So at a cost of half my Life Points, I'm allowed to use the monsters in my Graveyard in the fusion. I remove from play 'Cyberdark Horn', 'Cyberdark Keel', and 'Cyberdark Edge' to summon forth this!" A long, black metal dragon flew in the air above Zane, roaring. "Behold my 'Cyberdark Dragon' (1000, 1000)!" Zane crowed.

-GridIron LP: 5000, Zane LP: 100-

"Like, not chill man," GI groaned, stepping back. His rusty glasses fell to the street with a clink.

"Next my Power Bond doubles his original attack power," Zane called. "And then, he can drain the energy of a Dragon in my Graveyard, and I choose my Raremetal Dragon. And finally, for each card in the Graveyard, he gets 100 more points." The evil machine (7600, 5400) glowed brightly as streams of energy flowed into it from Zane's Duel Disk.

"Ah man!" GI shrieked.

"Cyberdark Dragon, destroy him!" Zane roared. Cyberdark Dragon roared and launched a blast of fire at GI. GI dove for cover as the machine roasted the Reptile on his field to a crisp. His Duel Disk sparked at the power overload and burst into flame before self-destructing. GI screamed as the explosion sent him flying back to the street.

-GridIron LP: 0000, Zane LP: 100-

"Alright GI, pay up," Shroud sneered, walking to stand over him. GI groaned and lifted a hand to grab a dumpster and pull himself up.

"C'mon Shroud dude, I'm broke, honest." GI pleaded. "Gimme some time."

"Your time is up," Shroud sneered. "Now give me the money before I get angry." GI winced and reached into his pocket.

"Here, take it, really, it's all I got, I'm gonna get the rest Tuesday!" He insisted, shoving a wad of bills towards Shroud. Shroud counted the money and smiled.

"It'll do for now," He said. "You've got one week GI." He turned and walked back to the waiting limo. "We're done for tonight. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Mr. Truesdale." Shroud slammed the door to his limo shut as Zane glared.

"What's the deal?" He snarled. "Open up!"

"Sorry, no room," Shroud called up the window. Zane growled and pulled back a fist. His Duel Disk beeped and sent another blast of electricity up his arm. Zane fell to his knees as Shroud grinned. "What's wrong, Mr. Truesdale? From what I heard from my friends in the GX Tournament, you like pain." Shroud finally let go of his control, and Zane fell forward with a groan.

"I think he's hurt sir," The driver said.

"That's what happens to the dog when it bites the hand that fed it," Shroud replied. "I've still got his original betrayal to make up for, and I intend to." Shroud looked out his window as Zane slowly climbed to his feet. "I told you before, Mr. Truesdale: you'd regret firing me." Shroud's limo roared down the street as Zane stared down as his Duel Disk and growled.

* * *

"Medium coffee, decaf. That'll be one forty-nine hun." Alexis pulled open her purse and counted the spare change she had.

"Um…don't suppose you could let me off for a quarter?" She muttered, picking up what change she did have and putting her purse back in the lone suitcase she had at her feet. The waitress snorted and waved a hand at the broken down diner.

"Hun, does it look like I can spare a quarter?" She asked. "Sorry, I can't afford charity." She picked the coffee back up from Alexis' table and started back towards the counter.

"I'll pay it." A hand slapped a twenty down on the counter. "A little something extra for the courtesy fee too." The waitress rolled her eyes as Aster took the coffee from her and sat down opposite Alexis. "What's up?"

"Great, what do you want?" Alexis asked, turning to stare out the window.

"To give you your coffee, and maybe talk a little," Aster shrugged, pushing the coffee across the table. Alexis avoided eye contact as she sipped it and gagged.

"A buck fifty, and it's still a rip-off." She muttered. Aster smirked slightly as Alexis choked down another drink.

"So, what's up with you?" Aster asked. Alexis stared at him.

"Why do you care? As I recall you never were Mr. Popular," She reminded.

"It's been two years, a lot has changed for me." Aster explained. "I just wanted to see how you were feeling over the match earlier."

"I lost in my first duel in the Pro Leagues, how do you think I feel?" Alexis chuckled bitterly. "Why the hell was I booked against you anyway, you're the champion."

"Yeah, I know. I didn't understand it either," Aster sighed. "Look, seriously, I don't want you to get too depressed or anything. The last thing I need on my conscience is a repeat of Zane's career. The fact is I was just better this time." Alexis raised an eyebrow.

"And I'm supposed to feel better?" She asked dryly.

"I'm not kidding, play back the duel. No matter what you had done I would have called all those monsters out next turn. You did well while you lasted, but you would have lost one way or the other."

"I don't need to take this," Alexis sneered, grabbing her suitcase and standing up.

"Hold on, I'm trying to help you here," Aster insisted. "You are a good duelist, Alexis. It's not your skills that make you a bad duelist, or your deck. It's how you use them. A lot of duelists play to counter the opponent's moves and stay one step ahead. Me, I play without worrying about what my opponent is going to do because I'm _two_ steps ahead. That's what separates the good duelists from the great ones. Do you think Yugi was always worrying what type of cards Kaiba was going to play? No, because he had a plan one way or the other."

"Please don't tell me you're comparing yourself to the King of Games," Alexis laughed.

"Not really, just how we duel. With a few modifications to your style, and maybe a couple of the new boosters, your deck could be really powerful," Aster replied. "I know a place that can give you a discount on the boosters."

"Thanks, but I don't take charity from a person more than once," Alexis sniffed. "If you'll excuse me, I have to find a motel before the weirdoes come out on the streets." She turned and walked out onto the street, wincing as a car zoomed past in a blast of wind.

"Motel?" Alexis rolled her eyes as Aster stepped up behind her. "Why would you need a motel, why not stay with a friend or your parents?"

"I told you, I don't take charity," Alexis said, walking down the street. "The whole point of going to Duel Academy in the first place was…" Alexis stopped herself and groaned. "Why am I even telling you any of this, it's none of your business where I'm staying!"

"Maybe not, but the fact is that too many good duelists out there go to the gutters because of a few bad breaks. And I'd frankly hate to see another duelist with talent wind up on the streets. Domino has too many social drop-outs as it. Judging from your seeming lack of money I'm guessing no one offered you a sponsorship deal before you graduated, and it's next to impossible to juggle a dueling career and a job," Aster told her. "You don't want to take charity, fine, that's admirable. But so is knowing when to swallow your pride and ask for help. Take it from someone who knows, Alexis, the dueling world is rough, and sometimes you need a little help to get started." Alexis snorted and turned.

"What is with you anyway?" She asked, putting her suitcase down and crossing her arms. "What do you want from me?" Aster nodded to the street as a black limo pulled up.

"Well it's fairly obvious you don't like me, I can live with that, lots of people don't. But I don't want you to get all soured on the professional idea. And on that note, there's someone I think you should see."


	3. Home Is Where The Heart Is

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 3

Home Is Where the Heart Is

A pair of black iron gates creaked open, granting Alexis a prime view of what a Champion's salary could afford. Aster's home wasn't a mansion, in the literal sense, but it was still beyond what anyone could afford working a day job. It rose three stories and stretched back a ways too. Alexis knew Aster's father was dead, but she never knew about the rest of his family. If they weren't around, she couldn't help but wonder what the vast complex was for. The limo pulled up in front of the oak doors, and Aster climbed out, waiting for Alexis to grab her suitcase before walking up to the doors. A tall man in a grey suit bowed as he opened the door for them.

"Ah, Master Phoenix, welcome home. I witnessed your duel earlier tonight, marvelous victory, the little wretch didn't stand a….oh." The man stopped as he noticed Alexis scowling at him behind Aster. "Master Phoenix, do you intend to offer shelter to all who lose to you? I'm afraid this place wouldn't be quite big enough," He chuckled.

"Don't worry, Sean, I just wanted her to say hi to Sartorius," Aster replied. Alexis' eyes widened slightly. Aster and Sartorius were still friends after the Dark Light fiasco two years ago? Sure, his manager was merely possessed, but that wasn't a sort of thing you just waved off. She hadn't forgotten what he had done to Duel Academy – barring what she didn't remember during his control over her, which was still fragmented.

"Ah. Master Sartorius is in the lounge watching his programs. I've already served dinner to him, if you'd like I could prepare something else for you," Sean nodded. Aster hung his coat up on a coatstand and shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry, we have leftovers and a microwave, don't we?" He replied. Sean rolled his eyes; Aster knew full well Sean thought that microwaved food was atrocious.

"Of course, Master Phoenix," He muttered. Aster nodded and began to walk down the hall of the manor. Alexis followed, feeling a little out of place among the luxury. Aster was by no means going to be mistaken to rich, but he was certainly doing well for himself. Aster led Alexis to a large, carpeted room. A large TV was on a cabinet on the far wall, a VCR/DVD system – and what looked like a PS3 – on the shelf above it. The TV was tuned to David Letterman.

"And the number 1 sign the U.S. Military is falling apart…" Letterman read.

"Look who's in charge," A voice muttered. Alexis jumped slightly and turned her head. Aster had sat down on a sofa in front of them, and Sartorius, sitting in a recliner in the corner, had escaped Alexis' eye when they had entered. Sartorius more or less looked the same, although his hair was a foot or so longer. He had also donned a black sweater and blue jeans as opposed to the white, retro-fitted Obelisk Blue blazer Alexis remembered from her second year. He actually looked normal, but Alexis knew better.

"Look who's in charge, there ya go Paul." The orchestra played as Letterman wrapped up the Top Ten. Sartorius looked at Aster and smirked.

"Why do you always do that, you know it creeps me out," Aster asked. Sartorius chuckled.

"Question asked, question answered," He replied. He nodded at Alexis, turned back to the TV, and did a slight double take. "But it appears some things are yet beyond my sight. Welcome, Ms. Rhodes. It has been a long time." Sartorius stood and extended a hand. Alexis took it with a slight hesitation. "Tell me, what brings you here?" Alexis shrugged.

"I don't know, ask your client," She sighed, jerking a thumb at Aster. Sartorius raised an eyebrow and looked down at the duelist in question.

"So, Aster, what's going on?" Sartorius repeated. Aster stood up and turned around.

"Alexis just started her career in the pro leagues, but she hasn't gotten any sponsorship deals. I was thinking you could help her out," He explained. Alexis's jaw dropped.

"Now hold on a minute, I am not just going to let you drag me into…"

"Absolutely not," Sartorius interrupted, glaring at Aster. "Don't get me wrong, Aster, she's an excellent duelist, but I don't just give out money to duelists. I have quite a few promising talents lined up for me, so she'll have to wait."

"Come on, Sartorius, you saw her duel at Duel Academy, you know she's good! Give her a chance!" Aster shot back.

"It's not a matter of skills, Aster, it's a matter of protocol, if she wants to prove herself I'll watch a duel, but she's-"

"_She's_ still in the room," Alexis huffed. Aster blinked and turned her way as Sartorius bowed his head and cleared his throat.

"Ms. Rhodes, could you please excuse us for a moment?" He asked. Alexis nodded.

"Yeah, you got a bathroom?" She replied.

"Down the hall, third on the left," Aster told her. Alexis put her suitcase against the wall and left, and Aster watched her go. Sartorius sighed and shook his head.

"Aster, really, what's gotten into you?" He asked, muting the TV. "Ever since I agreed to book you against Alexis you've done nothing but question my decisions. What's going on?"

"Look, she's a good kid, or woman, whatever, who's trying to make her start in the world. Why can't we help her, you know we have the money even if she is a failure," Aster replied.

"It is not a question of money or dueling prowess, Aster, I just worry for your safety, in all factors. You don't know what you could be getting yourself into, this isn't…" Sartorius trailed off as Aster's eyes widened. He looked away in disgust as Aster marched to the cabinet housing the TV. On the left was a small drawer that was kept locked at all times, Aster had the only key. But it had been left ajar, telltale screwdriver marks on the edge of the door. Aster growled and flung the door open, reaching inside and pulling out the deck of Tarot cards that focused his friend's power.

"Damn it, Sartorius, you promised!" He roared, slamming the cards on the coffee table. Sartorius sighed and collapsed on the sofa, clutching his face in his hands. "You promised me you wouldn't use your powers for personal gain!" Aster reminded. Sartorius scowled and took the cards from the table. His powers of foresight could never truly be "turned off", but when he didn't focus them into his cards, they became only premonitions and immediate Sight, nothing like what he had been capable of under the Dark Light's control. He had had Aster lock the cards away after being freed from the Dark Light to remove the temptation to use the divination for his own benefit.

"Aster, please, you've never done anything like this before, I was only trying to protect you!" Sartorius protested.

"We've been friends for years, don't you trust me to make my own choices? You aren't my father!" Aster snapped.

"Well considering your history with father figures, maybe that's in my best interests!" Sartorius shot back. Aster visibly flinched, and Sartorius quickly regretted the words. "Aster, I didn't mean that, forgive me," He pleaded. Aster regained his composure and glared. Sartorius knew full well his psychological Achilles' heel, but he had never thrown it in his face like that.

"No, don't deny it, it's true. My dad died, Mom killed herself, and the less said about D, the better," Aster muttered. "It's true, I haven't had a parent around a lot. I've had to learn to handle myself. I'm eighteen years old Sartorius, and I've spent about half of those years fending for myself. So trust me to make my own decisions." Sartorius bit his lip and nodded.

"Alright. I'm not making any promises, but if she proves herself I'll hire her," He said.

"So how do I do that?" The two friends looked up as Alexis walked back in the room and sat down on an easy chair beside the sofa. "If I have to duel one of you, forget it, for a multitude of reasons," She warned. She noticed the Tarot deck in Sartorius' hand and decided not to ask.

"Not at all, Aster has had his duel, and I only do it for recreation now," Sartorius assured her. "There's an open opponent tomorrow in the Kaiba Dome, anyone who wants to challenge him can sign up."

"I know that guy, Theodore Thompson, right?" Aster asked. Sartorius nodded.

"Correct. Defeat him and I'll arrange a stronger opponent. If you can defeat them, then you can consider yourself my official client, Ms. Rhodes," He explained. Alexis nodded.

"Thanks. Well, if one of you could give me a ride back to town, I have to find a place," She said, picking up her suitcase.

"Nonsense, if only for one night you shall stay here," Sartorius corrected.

"What?" Aster gasped.

"Did you put him up to this, I told you I don't take charity," Alexis warned, glaring at Aster.

"No, it is my decision, Ms. Rhodes. I don't want a potential client to think poorly of me. Tomorrow you shall find your own accommodations but for tonight,_ mi casa e su casa,_" Sartorius nodded at Aster. "Aster, show her to the west wing quest room. And if you need anything else Ms. Rhodes, tell Sean and he'll get it for you." Alexis gave the two an odd look, but left the room.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aster hissed as Sartorius unmuted the TV.

"You make your decisions, and I'll make mine," His manager replied with a strange smile. Aster shrugged and followed Alexis out of the room. Sartorius looked back at the Tarot deck in his hands, and stood up to put it away again.

"I should never have taken these accursed cards out," He berated, opening the drawer. A small jolt of static electricity hit him, and Sartorius flinched slightly, cursing and wringing his hand out. He put the deck in the drawer and looked down at his hand. Something on the carpet caught his eye, and he knelt down. When he had flinched, two cards had slipped from the bottom of the Tarot deck and fallen to the floor. Sartorius picked the first up.

"The Moon," He whispered, looking at the card. "This card represents a powerful light shrouded in darkness." He looked at the other card on the carpet and frowned. That was odd…

"The Lovers…right-side up it means old affection that will be renewed….upside-down, it shows new love that will not be easily swayed…but…" Sartorius' expression grew even more troubled. "This card landed…sideways, so the path has not yet been chosen…how is this possible?" He picked the card up and stood, looking at the deck. He reached out a shaking hand, and drew the top card. He lifted it to eye level and gasped, stepping back and letting the card free itself from his hand.

"It can't be…the Wheel of Fate!" He cried, staring at the card as it fell to the ground. "Somehow the course of Destiny has been altered! But how?" Sartorius' eyes widened, and he looked back the Lovers and Moon cards in his hand. "Aster….what have you begun?" He growled and placed all three cards back in the drawer. "This is not my fight, Aster will deal with it on his own," Sartorius whispered, trying to convince himself. He took one more look at the deck and shut the drawer.

* * *

The door of apartment two fifty four slammed shut, and Zane shook himself off, taking off his coat and hanging it up on the coat rack, moving it over the heating vent. After a long _walk_ home, he had gotten splashed by a car speeding through a puddle. His clothes clung to his body, and he quickly walked into the bathroom, ripping the clothes off and leaving them on the floor for the time as he stepped into the shower. He turned on the hot water and sighed slightly as it burst onto him. He let the steam build and the water clean the puddle water from him, then turned on the cold.

"Damn bastard," He muttered, looking at the dark Duel Disk on his arm. He wasn't sure if the thing was waterproof – the normal Duel Disk MKIII was, but this _was_ Shroud's work – and he didn't want to find out the hard way. He kept his arm towards the back out of the spray, taking his other hand and shaking it off a bit before taking his deck from the disk and reaching to put it on the back of the toilet out of the curtain.

For the umpteenth time that night, Zane wondered why he had interfered with Alexis and Aster's affairs. He hadn't seen either of them in over two years, and in Aster's case, that wasn't quite long enough. On the one hand, he was somewhat grateful – it was his untimely defeat at Aster's hands that set in motion the events that would lead him to his true calling. On the other, more important hand, Aster had handed Zane his first true defeat. Zane had more or less forgotten the nobodies he had lost to afterwards, but Aster stuck in his mind. The boy – now man – that had nearly destroyed his career.

"Why did I care anyway?" Zane muttered to himself, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. Alexis had been his friend at the Academy, but that was years ago, they hadn't spoken since and they had both moved on. He had become one of the best duelists the world had ever seen, and Alexis was…well, he wasn't sure. But he was sure she would barely remember him now. So why did he care? That was, unfortunately, the million dollar question Zane didn't have the answer to.

"And look what it got me. Working for that damn bastard again, and for what?" Zane snarled, slamming a fist into the teal tile of the shower. He was once again in cahoots with Shroud, and he wasn't going to be escaping anytime soon. And what had he gotten out of the deal? It wasn't like Alexis knew what he had done for her, and besides, what more would she be able to give besides gratitude? Zane turned off the shower and stood silently for a moment, his eyes closed.

"This isn't my business," He growled, reaching for a towel.

* * *

"Just use the intercom button, it connects directly to Sean," Aster said, waving to the phone by the bedside. Alexis nodded and sat down on the bed. For a guest room, it was quite luxurious, complete with a TV, a bathroom and a queen-sized bed. She had stuck her suitcase in a corner and decided not to unpack on the ground it was only going to be one night.

"Yeah, thanks," She replied. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to shower and change before I go to bed, so…"Alexis waved her hand, Aster nodded and headed for the door.

"Hey, just one thing," He said, turning in the doorframe. "What happened to everyone else?" He leaned against the doorframe while Alexis thought for a moment.

"Hassleberry's in his third year, but he's still a Yellow. Blair-"

"Blair?" Aster interrupted, frowning. Alexis nodded, remembering Aster had never met her – he had been busy with Sartorius and Jaden when the grade student had returned during the GX tournament.

"Right, you don't know her. Anyway, Bastion came back, but he has to repeat a year since he missed the first half of the third and the end of the second. Syrus graduated with me. He was promoted to Blue at the start of the third year, but stepped down within a month, I'm not sure why. I haven't seen him since leaving the Academy," She finished. Aster pursed his lip.

"What about Jaden? I haven't heard of him entering any of the leagues," He said. Alexis's face clouded, and Aster got the sudden feeling he had slammed his foot into his mouth.

"Long story, and it doesn't have a happy ending. Besides, I'm not up for it right now," She replied. "Good night, Aster." Aster was a little put off by the blatant dismissal, but nodded and closed the door. He shoved his hands in his pockets and started off to the kitchen for a snack.

"What did I say?"

**Notes**

"**Sean" has his name pronounced like Sean Connery or Sean William Scott.**

**Sartorius' divinations may not be the actual readings from Tarot, but work with me. The fact his readings are even involved should tell**


	4. Duel in a Different Dimension

The Darkness of Destiny

**Early update since the last was late. Enjoy!**

**As a note, Alexis' duel is based on a real-life form of televised wrestling called "dark matches" that take place before the broadcast and aren't seen by the TV audience or count towards official standings, but are used to test up and coming talent and get the crowd warmed up. Just a tidbit.**

Chapter 4

Duel in a Different Dimension

"He's tough, but he's only semi-pro. You'll probably beat him, but he'll put up a good fight," Aster said, walking Alexis to the arena.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to give me a ride," Alexis muttered. She was secretly relieved that someone was looking out for her, but on the other hand, it was annoying, not to mention it was Aster Phoenix and Sartorius, of all people.

"Actually I did. Sartorius said there's some sort of big announcement tonight that I had to be present for. It's supposed to happen after your match," Aster replied. They reached the gates of the dueling arena, and Aster hopped the security gate into the stands. "Good luck," He called. Alexis nodded and walked into the middle of the arena. Since the match was just for show, there were no cameras or announcer was there, but there was a small crowd and activate recording equipment for the Kaiba Dome archives.

"So, you're the chick who signed up. You're kinda cute. Want a boyfriend?" Theodore Thompson had thin, wireframe glasses and was just under six feet tall. He had on a loose red shirt and black jeans. Long brown hair trailed down past his shoulders, and was flung over one side of his chest. He was actually kinda cute, but Alexis knew a creep when she saw one.

"No thanks, just shuffle my deck and drop the pick-ups," Alexis replied. The two traded decks, and began shuffling. That done, they walked back to their respective sides of the arena as the stage lights came on.

"Alright cutie, get ready for a pounding!" Theodore yelled.

-Alexis LP: 4000, Theodore LP: 4000-

"Alright, my move," Theodore said, drawing. "I'll play the Spell card 'Dimension Fissure'!" A large, purple hole appeared in the air between the two duelists. "Now all the monsters normally sent to the Graveyard are removed from play instead! Next I'll set a monster in defense and call it a turn." The mystery monster blinked into place.

"Fine. My turn now," Alexis drew, and frowned. "Hey, this isn't my card," She muttered. She looked over her shoulder and glared at Aster. "Mind explaining?" She snapped. Aster suddenly founded the seat next to him fascinating. Alexis rolled her eyes and looked down at the card. Might as well, if it was in her deck…

"I summon 'Cyber Boarder' (1800, 1000)!" Alexis cried, playing the card. A female monster with light yellow skin on a snowboard with light blue goggles, gloves and boots appeared in front of Alexis. "Cyber Boarder, attack his monster!" The snowboarding Cybergirl kicked at the ground and zoomed across the field as snow appeared in front of her board. A wave of snow washed over Theodore's monster (800, 1200), encasing it in a snowdrift before it shattered.

"And now for her special ability," Alexis called. "If the monster she destroyed in battle was the last one on your field, Cyber Boarder can attack you directly!" Theodore gasped as the boarder turned and skidded towards him, zooming past him in a flurry of wind and snow. Theodore raised a hand to cover his eyes as storm whipped into him.

-Alexis LP: 4000, Theodore LP: 2200-

"And now you've got nothing to defend you from my assault next turn," Alexis finished.

"No defense? Look again," Theodore laughed. The purple vortex in the air pulsed, and a small round robot with a large red eye and hook hands floated out.

"What is that thing?" Alexis asked. Theodore smirked and pushed up his glasses.

"It's called 'D.D. Scout Plane' (800, 1200), and it returns to the field at the end of every turn it gets removed from play," He explained. "And thanks to the special ability of Dimension Fissure, every monster is removed. So no matter how many times you destroy my monster, it'll always come back!"

"Not good," Alexis muttered. Theodore nodded and drew.

"It gets worse. I summon 'D.D. Survivor' (1800, 200)." A large man in steel armor and a tattered brown cloaked rose up to the field from another purple void. "Now Survivor, attack Cyber Boarder!" The Warrior charged across the field and raised a gloved fist.

"They'll both be destroyed!" Alexis protested. A snowstorm whirled up from Cyber Boarder's feet, and washed over D.D. Survivor as it landed a hard punch in the monster's stomach. With a blast of wind, the two holograms exploded.

"My Boarder!" Alexis yelled. In the stands, Aster jumped to his feet.

"Alexis, watch out!" He yelled.

"D.D. Scout Plane, attack her directly!" Theodore commanded. The round robot's eye grew wide, and a ray of red light shot across the field. It hit the ground under Alexis' feet and flared up in a blast of red light. Alexis let out a cry and flung back her head as her hair was flung up in the blast.

-Alexis LP: 3200, Theodore LP: 2200-

"I'll throw two cards facedown, and wrap it up by bringing back an old friend," Theodore chuckled. The Dimension Fissure throbbed as D.D. Survivor leapt out of the vortex.

"Don't tell me, let me guess," Alexis growled. "Your Survivor and your Scout have the same abilities."

"Correct again, sweetie. Now it's your turn, so draw your card and try and get past my monsters, _if_ you think you can," Theodore said.

"I'll get past them, trust me," Alexis shot back, drawing.

* * *

Zane sipped his latte and walked away from the concession stand of the Kaiba Dome. He looked down at his watch and noted the time. The big announcement he had been informed of was to start in ten minutes. Apparently Kaiba Corporation, in tandem with Industrial Illusions, the official sponsors and organizers of the Leagues, had planned something big. But no one had heard what yet.

The sound of an explosion caught his ear, and Zane turned to stare down the corridor to the arena. Odd, he hadn't heard of any duels going on tonight, except for exhibition matches. He walked down the corridor to the stands and frowned.

"What's she doing here?" He muttered, staring down at Alexis. He looked up at the display board over the arena that displayed the two fields on the duelists. "Hm, she's losing," He said, looking down at her opponent. He shrugged and turned away. "Oh well, too bad for her." Zane took a step and stopped himself, looking down and turning back to face the arena.

"I summon 'Cyber Tutu' (1000, 800)!" Alexis said. The pink and blue ballerina appeared in a twirl. "I may not be able to damage your monsters, but I _can _damage your Life Points! Cyber Tutu, attack!" The dancer raised a foot and kicked into a spin, zooming across the field in a whirlwind.

"Pardon? You might want to double check that logic!" Theodore called. "Activate 'Spirit Barrier'!" A barrier of golden energy rippled into place over Theodore. Cyber Tutu stopped spinning and landed a kick into Scout Plane's eye. The robot sparked and exploded as Tutu jumped back, but the debris from the explosion bounced on Theodore's barrier. "As long as this Trap card remains in play, any and all battle damage to my Life Points goes right down to zero!" He laughed.

"No way, no card is that strong!" Alexis protested. "There has to be a drawback!"

"Well, yeah, unfortunately," Theodore sighed. "The barrier only remains in play as long as I control at least one monster." The vortex opened again as Scout Plane floated back onto Theodore's field. "Of course for my deck, that's pretty much a moot point," He snickered.

"I'll set a card face down to end my turn," Alexis sighed.

"Alright then, my move. And I summon 'D.D. Warrior Lady' (1500, 1600)." The new Warrior had on silver armor and long blonde hair. "Warrior Lady, take out her monster!" Theodore commanded. The knight drew her sword and leapt into the air, bringing the blade down on Cyber Tutu.

"I play 'Hallowed Life Barrier'!" Alexis countered. She took a card from her hand and slipped 'Cyber Angel Idaten' into her Graveyard. "Now by sending a card from my hand to the Grave, I can negate any damage to me for this turn."

"Not quite. Counter-Trap, 'Dimension Jammer'!" Theodore said. A glowing green claw emerged from the ground and wrapped around Alexis' Trap, crushing it. "Now by simply removing a card in my hand from play, your card follows suit! And without that barrier, my attack stays in play." The Lady sliced into Cyber Tutu, and the ballerina vanished in a cry. "Now, D.D. Survivor, Scout Plane, attack her directly!" A beam of red light launched across the field as the Survivor slammed a fist into the ground and send a shockwave of energy at Alexis. The resulting explosion sent her flying back across the field.

"Alexis!" Aster cried, jumping out of his seat. Across the arena, Zane turned his attention from his former schoolmate and scowled.

"What's he doing here?" He growled.

"Next I play 'Mystic Wok'," Theodore continued. "Now by sacrificing one monster, I can absorb its power as my Life Points." A flame lit under D.D. Survivor, and the monster turned into a blue mist that surrounded Theodore. "That's an extra 1800 points for me."

-Alexis LP: 100, Theodore LP: 4000-

"I'll end my turn by reviving my Survivor once again," Theodore said, crossing his arms. "Now, draw and make your final move."

"I'm not going to lose…not to you," Alexis snapped, climbing to her feet. "I draw…and play 'Graceful Charity'. Now I can draw three cards and send two the Grave." Alexis drew her cards and gasped. "Hey, that isn't…" She turned. "Aster, when this is over you're getting your ass kicked!" she called.

"Just win already!" Her benefactor yelled back. Alexis looked down at her new cards and sent 'The Warrior Returning Alive' and 'Machine Angel Ritual' into her Graveyard.

"I summon 'Etoile Cyber' (1200, 1600)!" She announced. The red Cyber girl appeared in a flash of light, giving a kick.

"Why summon her, she can't do anything," Theodore snorted.

"Maybe, but this can!" Alexis counter. "I play 'Allegro Tool'." Etoile Cyber held out her hand, and a glowing spear of light appeared in her grasp. "Now since I just successfully summoned a monster, I can use this card to destroy any Spell or Trap on your side of the field!"

"Say what?" Theodore gasped. "My Dimension Fissure!"

"Not quite. Allegro Tool, destroy his Spirit Barrier!" Etoile Cyber hurled the light spear across the field. It passed right through Theodore's purple vortex and slammed into the barrier of gold around him. The barrier rippled and exploded like glass.

"Why do that, his monsters will still come back," Zane said to himself." She's lost it."

"So you got rid of my Barrier, it doesn't matter. I can use my Warrior Lady to remove your monster and leave you defenseless on my next turn! It's over!" Theodore cried.

"At this rate, you're not going to _have_ a next turn," Alexis said, slipping a Spell into her Duel Disk. "I play 'Polyermization'. Now I can fuse the Etoile Cyber on my field with the 'Blade Skater' in my hand!" A black portal appeared, and a red and purple Duel Monster with long hair and ice skates dashed out. "Meet 'Cyber Blader' (2100, 800)!"

"Next, I'll activate my new Spell card 'Wave Cannon – Ice Blaster', and add it to my Blader." Cyber Blader held up her hand as particles of light formed around her wrist, flashing and creating a triangular cannon. "Now Cyber Blader, attack his Scout Plane! Ice Blaster!" Cyber Blader launched a light blue ray of light. Scout Plane rusted over as the icy blast froze it, then exploded.

-Alexis LP: 100, Theodore LP: 2700-

"I'm still standing!" Theodore muttered.

"Not for long, because now I can use the effect of my Ice Blaster," Alexis smirked. "It lets my Blader attack more than once each turn, as long as the monsters she attacks have a combined Level that's not higher than her own."

"What?" Theodore asked.

"Fine, I'll simplify it for you, 'sweetie'." Alexis snorted. "Since your Scout Plane was Level 3, and my Blader is Level 7, she can attack another Level 4 monster this turn. And with only two monsters on your field, her attack points double to 4200!" Cyber Blader swung the cannon around and took aim. Theodore gulped.'

"Not good," He whimpered. Cyber Blader fired a second ice blaster at D.D. Warrior Lady, and the shower and ice shards tore her armor to shreds before whipping around Theodore. D.D. Warrior Lady exploded in a flash of blue light as Theodore screamed in protest.

-Alexis LP: 100, Theodore LP: 0000-

"Game over!" Alexis called. The holograms vanished as Theodore slumped to his knee. The crowd cheered as Aster hopped down into the arena.

"Way to go! Up high!" He laughed, holding up a hand. Alexis grinned and slapped his hand, then did a double take and scowled.

"You tricked me," she accused. Aster held up his hands in defense as Alexis walked past him to the arena exit. Suddenly, the lights of the dome flared brighter, and cameramen ran past the two into the arena. Smoke bellowed up from the center of the arena as the announcer's voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Ladies and gentleman, dueling fans of all ages! Welcome to the Kaiba Dome! We're coming to you live around the world to bring you this exclusive announcement! I'm Gene Wilkins, here to tell you what you hear tonight will reshape the Leagues!" The announcer screamed. Spotligths fixed onto the arena where the smoke bellowed, and the arena floor slid back. Alexis raised a hand to block out the lights as a shadowy form rose into the smoke from the arena. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, set your phones and VCRs to record! The creator and architect of the Kaiba Dome, and owner of Kaiba Corporation! I give you, the one, the only, Seto Kaiba!"

The crowd burst into applause as the smoke cleared to reveal the legendary owner of Kaiba Corporation. Alexis swore she felt her jaw drop at the sight. Seto Kaiba was one of the greatest duelists in history, and he was standing only a few feet away. She could have run up and asked for his autograph, if not for the some twelve-man security detail that had appeared around the arena walls. She stole a glance at Aster – he was no stranger to dueling championships himself, and his face was a little more discreet than Alexis'. Still, she could tell he was in awe. Kaiba was not the kind of man who needed a second glance to establish his presence. A microphone lowered from the ceiling, and the legendary duelist grabbed it.

"Attention all dueling fans!" Kaiba called. The crowd cheered again at his voice, and Kaiba waited a moment for them to stop before he continued. "Tonight marks the greatest change in the lineup of the Professional Leagues, because tonight I announce the official Kaiba Corporation Elite Tournament!" The crowd cheered again, but this time, Kaiba ignored them. "Eight of the best duelists in the league will meet here to battle it out in a tournament suited only for the best, and all eight participants have been handpicked by me. The eight duelists lucky enough to enter the tournament will face each other over the next two weeks, and the winner of that tournament will receive a prize worthy of such a victory!" Kaiba let his words sink in, then turned. Alexis' eyes widened as he fixed his blue gaze directly on Aster.

"When seven of the eight have fallen, and the winner is crowned, they will be allowed to challenge Aster Phoenix for the championship title!" Kaiba crowed, thrusting a hand out at the duelist in question. Aster gasped as a second spotlight fixed on him, and a cameraman came to film him. Alexis felt like she should move away, but for some reason she stayed. How did someone back away when they were on TV? "Now, listen up, because here are the names of the league's elite! If you hear your name, pat yourself on the back, but don't rest just yet because the real games are about to begin!" Kaiba said. "Duelist Number One, Jerry Collins! Duelist Number Two, Richard Pryce! Duelist Number Three, Vivian Harper!"

"Did you know about this?" Alexis asked under her breath. Aster slowly shook his head as Kaiba continued.

"No. I haven't actually defended the title since I won it from the D. I've just taken part in publicity matches," He replied. Alexis nodded, and was suddenly pulled back into Kaiba's words.

"Duelist Number Six, Zane Truesdale!"

Zane perked up and stared out at the arena. He looked up at the display to see his name and profile displayed, before being replaced by the Number Seven duelist. He sneered and lowered his gaze to Aster. Oh, this was going to be precious.

"Two weeks from now, Aster Phoenix will defend his title for the first time ever, and you can witness right here in the Kaiba Dome! Kaiba finished. "So Aster, and all eight duelists, shuffle your decks and get ready for the chance of a lifetime!" The crowd burst into the loudest cheer yet as Kaiba's platform lowered back into the arena. Most of the security guards filtered out as the cameramen flocked to Aster.

"Did you hear who's in that line-up?" Alexis hissed. Aster turned.

"Mr. Phoenix, what are your thoughts on this recent announcement?" One of the cameramen asked. Aster groaned and flipped a mental switch, snapping his media persona into place.

"Well I wasn't expecting this, but I'm not too worried. They're all good duelists, but I didn't become champion by twiddling my thumbs," He answered.

"Mr. Phoenix, you haven't defended your title once since winning, how will you handle this?" Another cameraman asked.

"Well I always play to win, regardless of the stakes. So really, it doesn't matter who I'm facing, or for what," Aster shrugged. "I wish all of them luck, but I don't want them to get their hopes up. I don't care who it is, Collins, Kreigor, or Truesdale. I'll take any one of them on, and I'll win," He finished. Alexis twitched slightly as Aster mentioned Zane.

"Is that so?" Zane sneered, crossing his arms in the stands. "We'll see, Aster." The dark duelist turned and walked into the exterior of the dome with a smirk. "We'll see."

**Original Cards**

**Dimension Jammer**

**Counter-Trap**

**Activate when your opponent activates a Spell or Trap card, or activates the effect of an Effect Monster card. Remove 1 card in your hand from play to negate the effect of that card and remove it from play.**

**Cyber Boarder**

**4 Star WATER Warrior**

**ATK: 1800**

**DEF: 1000**

**When this card destroys a monster in battle, if there are no other monsters on your opponent's side of the field, this card can attack once again in a row.**

**Wave Cannon – Ice Blaster**

**Equip Spell**

**The monster equipped with this card may attack any amount of monsters as long as the combined Levels of those monsters is equal or less than the Level of the equipped monster. When this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster as well.**


	5. Arrangements

The Darkness of Destiny

**Just to clear things up, with Zane's possible impending defeat in episode 129, so this story's purposes, Season 3 never happens. No Martin, no Johan Andersen, no alternate dimension, no Professor Cobra, nothing, okay?**

Chapter 5

Arrangements

"Quite a victory, Ms. Rhodes," Sartorius said, turning off the recording of the match. "I am pleased to see you retain the same talent I remember from Duel Academy."

"Thanks, I guess," Alexis replied, nodding. Sartorius picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and held it out to her.

"I contacted this young woman. She doesn't normally participate in professional duels, so you'll be dueling her here. She's quite talented, and should you defeat her, I'll sponsor your career in the leagues," He said. Aster looked down at the paper.

"Jaclyn Martingale?" He muttered. "Never heard of her."

"She's an old friend. She's a good duelist but detests the official tournaments. I assure you, Aster, she's as strong as any professional," Sartorius explained. "I look forward to your performance, Ms. Rhodes."

"Thanks," Alexis replied. The door the lounge opened, and Sean appeared in the doorframe.

"Master Sartorius, you have a Mr. Thunder waiting you in the foyer," He called. Sartorius frowned.

"I don't know a Mr. Thunder," He protested. "I didn't even think that was a name."

"Well he claims to know you," Sean sighed. Sartorius nodded.

"Very well. Aster, keep Alexis company for a moment while I sort this out." Sartorius followed Sean out of the room, leaving his client alone with Alexis. Aster crossed the room and turned on the game system above the TV and grabbed the controller.

"When did you find time to slip those cards into my deck?" She asked, watching him sit down and start the game.

"Remember when I shuffled your deck for luck before the match?" Aster replied, loading his file. Alexis turned her attention to the TV, and the game image of a winged creature slashing a glowing sword of energy.

"_Legacy of Kain_?" She muttered, remembering when Atticus played the series before enrolling in the Academy. "You really get off on this Destiny stuff huh?" Aster shrugged.

"Games give me time to chill. Besides, yeah, I do believe in it, I practically live my life based on that belief," He explained. Alexis put an arm on the back of the sofa and used it to support her chin. She remembered when Atticus, the weirdo, had had their parents send him his PS2 from home with his games, and had spent a weekend telling her every detail about the series. She wouldn't deny it seemed interesting, but console games were never really her thing.

"Cool game, this one," Alexis said, knowing Aster was listening, and if he wasn't, he would soon. "Raziel…born with the power to change the course of fate, but constantly manipulated by his supposed friends and allies into helping them achieve their own goals…" She trailed off and looked down at Aster out of the corner of her eye.

"I like Kain myself," Aster muttered, jumping across a lake. "Bound to follow his fate and ridiculing and mocking the one person who can help him, when all Raziel is trying to do is show Kain the error of his ways so they can both fix their past mistakes." The two sat in silence for a moment, then Aster paused the game. "I never did go for the passive aggressive stuff," He admitted, leaning back his head to look up at Alexis.

"Look, you're trying to help me, fine, just know that I'm not going to be led by the hand," Alexis explained. "I don't mind it that much, but really, why me?" Aster shrugged.

"You just happened to come along. Right place at the right time, I suppose," He replied, starting again.

"So the man of destiny's big excuse is coincidence?" Alexis laughed. Aster smirked and chuckled quietly. The game switched to a cinema of a robed figure confronting Raziel.

"Ah, the Timestreamer," Alexis said. "Moebius, seeing into time's passages and manipulating others to accomplish goals only he understands. The so-called great prophet, watching time from the bowels of his fortress." The two watched the cinema quietly for a moment. "You have any other games?" Alexis asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Aster muttered, standing and turning off the system.

* * *

Sean led Sartorius to the entrance hall of the manor. Sean bowed as they neared the doors and slipped away, leaving Sartorius with a young man in a long dark coat, looking up at the bust above the door with his back to Sartorius.

"Isn't that some kind of composer?" The man asked. Sartorius' eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Mozart or something, right?" The man continued, turning and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Beethoven, actually," Sartorius corrected, walking up to him. "I must say, I'm surprised you're here. I didn't think you even knew where I lived, never mind the fact I never thought you'd speak to me again."

"Yeah, well, I've been doing some traveling, digging up some research," The man replied with a shrug. "Finding you was easy compared to what I have to find next. But enough about me, I'm here about you."

"Me? What do you want with me?" Sartorius asked, narrowing his eyes. The man fixed him in a hard stare. One of his hands emerged from his pockets with a dueling deck.

"I need your powers," The man said.

"Absolutely not," Sartorius snapped right away.

"Hey, you don't even know what I want them for, and it just so happens I'm trying to help you out here," The man protested. "I'm here because of Zane."

"Zane? What do you wish to do about him?" Sartorius asked. The man snorted.

"Look, I'm not stupid, I know what you did to Zane. No one suffers from a loss that badly without a little outside help. You did this to him, and now you have to help me undo it."

"I don't know how you found out about that, but I did nothing to Zane to send him down this path. He chose his path of darkness on his own, I merely…faced him that way, even if unintentionally," Sartorius sighed.

"Yeah, well, one way or the other, if he goes on like this, someone is gonna get hurt, and some people already have. The way I see it, you help me, I take down Zane, and it all goes back the way it should be. Zane pulls his head out of his ass, you can sleep easy, and Aster gets a worthy challenger for the title besides the goth loser Zane is now," The man explained.

"I thought predicting the future was my job," Sartorius joked. "Besides, even if I did help you, what assurances do you have you can defeat Zane anyway?"

"Who else, if not me?" The man replied. "Aster won't let you do this, Jaden's gone AWOL, and you and I both know there's no one else out there duelist enough to take him on. I admit, I may not beat him, but I have to try. You know me, beside Aster and Jaden, if anyone can beat Zane, it's me."

"I will give you that…" Sartorius whispered. "Alright, but please, never tell anyone about this, especially Aster." The man nodded and held out his deck. "Know that I do this only for Zane and Aster, and because I trust you." Sartorius warned, placing a hand over the deck. A purple aura spread over the cards, and Sartorius' eyes glowed brightly for a moment. The aura faded, and Sartorius closed his eyes.

"Ya know, five years ago this would have seemed pretty weird," The man smirked, tucking his deck away.

"Destiny often works in strange ways," Sartorius agreed. The man opened the door to a rainfall and groaned.

"Do me a favor and let Alexis spend the night again. She deserves better than this," The man tossed over his shoulder, pulling his collar up. Sartorius nodded and closed the door as he climbed into a cab, watching him drive away before realizing he had never mentioned Alexis in their conversation.

* * *

The serrated teeth of the steak knife tore the meat to shreds, and Shroud skewered the piece with his fork and popped it into his mouth with a grin.

"You sure you don't want anything? You're going to become league champion in two weeks, Zane, you've earned a meal. My treat," He offered. The dark duelist sitting across from him responded with the same stony glare he had fixed his face in ever since Shroud had called him to come to the restaurant they were now at.

"Gentlemen, would either of you care for a drink?" The waiter asked, approaching the table.

"Yes, scotch on the rocks, please," Shroud said.

"And you sir?" The waiter continued, looking at Zane. Zane ignored him.

"Zane, the man asked a question," Shroud warned, reaching for his breast pocket. Zane snorted, catching the threat of what Shroud had there, and decided this particular battle of wills wasn't worth it.

"Ice water," He muttered after a moment. The waiter nodded and hurried away.

"So, I imagine you're pretty excited, being able to finally get a second shot at the man who nearly ruined your life, hm? Being able to rip Aster apart on national television, you can't wait, can you?" Shroud asked, cutting off another piece of steak.

"Maybe if you two switched places," Zane replied. Shroud smirked. He had always known Zane didn't like him, but in the few days since they had rejoined each other, his distaste had blossomed into full blown hatred. It wasn't something Shroud wasn't used to, but still, if his plan was going to work, booby-trapped Duel Disk or not, he would need Zane's favor. He spotted a red dress enter from the waiting room, and waved a hand. "You can go now," He said. Zane stared for a moment, then got up and marched away. A few moments after he was gone the woman sat down in his seat.

"He hates you," She said, extending a hand over the table. The woman had long, curly red hair and bright blue eyes. Shroud kissed the back of her hand and shrugged.

"He's still a kid, he'll learn," He replied. "You're sure this will work? I told you I had no interest in taking the brute back."

"Ah, but then I wised you up. I told you he was a shoe-in for that little tournament Kaiba has organized. My spies know their research," The woman grinned, wagging a finger. "That brute, as you call him, is your ticket to glory, and mine too. Remember, I told you about the tournament in exchange for your cooperation, Thomas."

"I know. You brought my money?" Shroud asked. The woman fished a check from her purse and slid it across the table. Shroud picked it up and frowned. "This isn't what we agreed on," He said.

"Ten percent now, the rest when Zane defeats Aster," The woman explained. "Once he's the champion and denounces Kaiba Corporation afterwards, my husband and I can sweep in. Pegasus will have no choice but to turn control of the leagues to us, once Kaiba Corp's stocks plummet when their champion chews them out."

"Your husband? I thought Zigfried wasn't in on this yet," Shroud replied.

"He will be soon enough. I don't trust him to go along with this, but I need his stocks to seal the deal so I'll bring him on board when our success is assured. I only own thirty percent of Schroeder Corp, my husband and that brat brother of his hold the other seventy," She said with a shrug. "When Zane wins and Kaiba Corp falls, the leagues will go with them. Pegasus will have to turn to the Schroeders to salvage them." Shroud nodded. The leagues were owned and sponsored by Industrial Illusions, but operated on Kaiba Corp technology. Much like so many other Duel Monster related enterprises, it was a joint effort – neither company could support the leagues alone.

"Then the deal is still on?" Shroud asked. Alicia von Schroeder nodded.

"Zane will defeat Aster Phoenix and claim the championship, then lampoon Kaiba Corp. Once the crowd turns its back on the Kaibas, Zigfried and I will buy out their position with Pegasus and take command of the leagues. You, my dark friend, will be a very rich man, the Schroeders will control the dueling world, and Zane will be champion of it all, under your control and in turn, under mine. Everybody wins."

"Except for Aster and Kaiba," Shroud reminded. Alicia smirked and leaned back.

"Too bad for them."


	6. The Grand Masterpiece

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 6

The Grand Masterpiece

Zane looked down at his briefcase and flipped it open, scanning the rows of cards there before closing it. He took one last look at his deck and slipped it into his Duel Disk.

"Come on, Zane," Shroud called from the door. "Your public awaits." Zane scowled and stood up, marching past Shroud into the arena. The lights of the arena flashed on as Zane entered.

"And now folks, tonight at the Kaiba Dome, we proudly present the first of eight matches to determine the true champion of the Leagues!" The announcer cried. "I'm Gene Wilkins here tonight to bring you this epic match! Entering the arena, the dark king of the Leagues, Zane Truesdale!" Shroud stopped at the entrance gate as Zane walked into the center of the arena. The doors at the other end of the arena opened wide.

"And his opponent, from parts unknown in Europe, the dueling musician, Zephon Maestrom!" The duelist loomed over seven feet tall, and was thing and bony in a long black rode. His eyes stared through Zane as he stepped into the middle of the arena. "Will the opposing duelists shuffle each other's decks." The two traded cards, and began shuffling.

"So, you are the infamous Zane Truesdale who wields the deck of darkness," Zephon chuckled, his voice barely a whisper. "You are making quite a racket in the leagues. But I fear you are nothing but a single movement in this grand composition."

"Whatever," Zane muttered, handing Zephon his deck and taking back his own. "Let's just hurry up so I can win," The two walked back to their respective sides of the arena.

"Alright, let the duel begin!" The announcer yelled.

"Let's duel!" Zane roared, snapping out his Duel Disk. Zephon merely smiled and pressed a thin finger to the activation button of his own disk.

-Zane LP: 4000, Zephon LP: 4000-

"I'll begin, my dear Zane," Zephon said, drawing. "I summon 'Dark Composer' (1500, 1000)." A monster in a long black robe with pale skin appeared in front of Zephon. "But, what is a composer, without a great instrument to play?" The Field slot on Zephon's disk slid out. "I play the Field Spell 'Great Organ'!" The ground shook as a gigantic pipe organ burst from behind Zephon, towering to the ceiling. The keys alone were the size of a human. "I will place two cards face-down, and end this movement. Your turn, Maestro Truesdale."

"Yeah, sure," Zane snarled, drawing. "I summon 'Volcanic Dragon' (2200, 0000)!" A large black and red dragon with a mane of flame down its back burst out from a plume of fire. "Volcanic Dragon, attack!" Zane cried. The dragon stomped across the field and raised a claw as Dark Composer looked up.

"I am afraid I shall have to call a stop to that piece," Zephon said. "I play 'Dark Note – A Sharp'!" A floating black music note appeared in front of the Dark Composer and pulsed. Volcanic Dragon groaned and stumbled back. "This note halts your composition and turns its power back on you," Zephon explained. The Great Organ blared a loud note, and Zane cried out as he was hit by a wave of sound.

-Zane LP: 1800, Zephon LP: 4000-

"You…I'll place one card face-down and end my turn," Zane snarled.

"What a move, Zephon just stopped Zane right in his tracks! It's truly a battle of the best!" The announcer shouted.

"My movement," Zephon nodded. "I activate Dark Composer's special ability. Now instead of drawing, I can add a Dark Note card from my deck to my hand." Zephon fanned out his deck, picked his card and slipped his deck back. "Next I activate 'Dark Note – B Flat'. By sending another Dark Note to the Grave, I can draw two cards. Now, I dismiss 'Dark Note – C Sharp', and draw two cards." Zephon drew, and smiled. "Now, the next note! 'Dark Note – D Flat'! It destroys two cards, at the cost of turning a monster's strength against me!" The organ blared again, and Volcanic Dragon and Zane's trap exploded. Zephon cringed as a second sound wave hit him. "And now, Dark Composer, attack Zane directly! Noise Crush!" The composer screeched loudly, and Zane cringed. A blast of electricity shot up his arm, and he collapsed as Shroud grinned behind him.

-Zane LP: 300, Zephon LP: 2500-

- - - - - - - - - -

"I hope I'm not too late," Alexis panted, running down the hall of the Kaiba Dome. She pushed past a vendor and ran up the steps to the stands. "I knew it," she hissed, staring out at the arena. She looked up at the display overhead. "Zane's losing already?" She muttered, looking down at him. "What's going on?" she watched Zane climb to his feet for a moment, then ran to get a better view.

"What a devastating turn of events! Zephon seems to have Truesdale on his knees on his second turn! I've never seen this pro get manhandled like that!" The announcer protested.

"My…move," Zane growled, drawing. "I summon 'Cyberdark Keel' (800, 800)! And I'll give him the power of the Volcanic Dragon in my Graveyard!" The black serpent glowed (3000, 800) as red bands of energy wrapped around it. "Now Dark Keel, attack!"

"Halt! Reveal 'Dark Note – E Flat'!" Zephon cried. "It returns your monster to the hand, and restores Life Points equal to its power!" Cyberdark Keel roared as another torrential sound wave threw it back. Alexis screamed and clenched her eyes shut as the hologram crashed into the stands and vanished. Zane gasped and whirled around.

"Alexis?" He whispered, looking up.

"Zane, keep your mind on the duel!" Shroud snapped. Alexis opened her eyes and gulped as she noticed Zane staring at her.

-Zane LP: 300, Zephon LP: 3300-

"Maestro Truesdale, I am not finished!" Zephon called. "Now, 'Dark Note – F Sharp'! This card lets me name a card and send that card in your hand to the Grave!" Zane turned. "Now, Cyberdark Keel, I banish you!" Zephon said. Zane scowled and sent the beast into the discard slot. "And now, F Sharp's second effect! Send another Monster from your deck to the Grave!" Zane fanned out his deck and chose his card.

"Zane has been blocked from an offense at every turn. It seems that the defeat of this pro may be imminent! Can he turn things around?" The announcer asked.

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn," He said.

"Very well," Zephon smiled, drawing. "Now, 'Dark Note – G Flat'! I name a type of card, and both of us send a card of that type to the Grave from our decks! And I choose Monster!" Zane and Zephon both discarded their cards.

"Was there a point to that?" Zane asked. Zephon smiled as his long, white hair began to fly about his head.

"Yes. For now, it is time! Behold, my masterpiece, my grand composition!" Zephon held up a card from his hand. "I activate the Spell card 'Magnum Opus'!" He crowed. The ground shook, and Alexis looked up as the dome lights flickered. Suddenly, Zane was blown back in a burst of wind as the Great Organ behind Zephon burst into a deafening display of music. The gigantic keys clicked along the board, sending a barrage of eerie music into the arena. Dark Composer glowed and vanished in a sparkle of dust. Zephon held his arms and tossed his head back in laughter.

"That's Zephon's signature card!" The announcer screamed. "But it's never been this strong before! What is going…AHHHHH!" The announcer screamed as feedback hit his headphones, and he ripped them off. Zane struggled to his feet and slowly walked back into place. Seven holograms appeared in the air above Zephon.

"Now, by offering my Dark Composer as Tribute!" Zephon shouted over the music. "I combine the power of the Dark Notes in my Graveyard! When the seven Dark Notes, Dark Composer, and the Great Organ are combined, the ultimate musical masterpiece is played!" The holograms flashed into a musical scale, and the organ suddenly stopped playing. As the people around the arena slowly got up, seven black music notes wrote themselves onto the scale. Then, the Great Organ let out a final blast of sound. Zane hit the back of the arena, and the glass on the announcer's booth shattered as a dark form rose beside Zephon. It had limbs of twisted brass pipes, lines of musical score tattooed around its arms and legs. Its hands and fingers were pipe, and its feel looked like piano pedals. What looked like a skirt designed to look like a keyboard was wrapped around its lower body. It had a large, heavy hammer, a large white beard, and a face covered in music note markings. The thing looked like a living, breathing, human pipe organ.

"Behold the ultimate monster, 'Crescendo, King of Dark Music' (3000, 2500)!" Zephon cried. "Now it is time to bring this piece to a close! Crescendo, Dark Wave!" The giant roared and slammed its hammer into the ground, sending a shockwave across the arena.

"Zane!" Alexis screamed. Shroud's eyes went wide.

"Sorry, but your piece has a sour note!" Zane roared. "I reveal 'Power Wall'!" Zane's deck glowed and started flinging cards into the air. A second shockwave appeared and zoomed towards Crescendo. "By sending thirty cards in my deck to the Grave, I can stop your attack!"

"Not quite, for there is a secret you must know," Zephon chuckled. "When Crescendo attacks, he drains the energy of all Dark Notes in the Grave, gaining five hundred points for each of them!" Zane scowled as the dark musician (6500, 2500) glowed red.

"I play my second face-down card 'Shrink'!" He replied. "It cuts your monster's power in half."

"Maybe, but you'll still feel my Crescendo!" Zephon roared. The second shockwave vanished as the first hit, knocking Zane back.

-Zane LP: 50, Zephon LP: 3300-

"I end my turn, and my Crescendo's points go back to normal. It's over, Maestro Truesdale!" Zephon called as Zane got up. "Now, surrender!"

"You'll pay!" Zane roared, drawing his last card. He looked down at it, and sneered up at Zephon. "I activate 'Overload Fusion'! Now, I can call forth any Dark-Attribute Machine-type Fusion monster, as long as I remove the monsters in my Grave from play!" The dark monsters appeared behind Zane. Alexis gasped – she had heard about Zane's trademark monster, but never seen it up close. The head of Cyberdark Horn flashed and burst apart from the body. Cyberdark Edge vanished, leaving only the wings behind. The wings and head clamped onto Cyberdark Keel with a flask of sparks.

"I summon 'Cyberdark Dragon'!" Zane cried. The dark machine roared loudly, and Zephon's eyes went wide. "Now, I offer him the power of my Volcanic Dragon, giving him an extra twenty-two hundred points! Then, for each card in my Grave, another 100 points!" Cyberdark Dragon (6600, 1000) glowed a dark purple."

"My music…" Zephon whimpered.

"Now, I could win right now, but you managed to break my Power Wall! So you've really pissed me off today!" Zane snarled. "I activate 'Limiter Removal'! This doubles the power of my Dragon, to 13, 200!" He declared. Zephon screamed. Sparks flew as the dark's body cracked and snapped.

"Cyberdark Dragon, it's time to bring this musical to a close! Destroy him!" Zane commanded. The dragon fired a blast of flame. Zephon's eyes flashed as the metal of the Great Organ superheated and melted into slag. Crescendo let out a bellow of anger as the blast consumed him.

-Zane LP: 50, Zephon LP: 0000-

The crowd cheered as Zephon fell to his knees. Zane took a deep breath, and gasped as a fist slammed into the back of his head.

"That was close," Shroud snapped. "Next time, you better win by a bigger margin." Zane gritted his teeth and stood up to follow his manager.

"Zane!" Alexis called, jumping down into the arena. Zane stopped as the graduate ran up to him.

"What are you doing here?" He muttered, looking down at her.

"I wanted to see you. It's been a while," Alexis replied, not sure how to approach him. They had been best friends once, but that was years ago, back when he was a little more…sane.

"Yeah. I heard you joined the leagues," Zane replied, nodding. It had only been a long time for her, for him, it was a couple days.

"Yeah, I got a guy to help me train, A…a guy," Alexis explained, cutting herself off before she mentioned Aster's name. Probably not the best idea to mention him around Zane.

"Oh? I hope sore your sake he knows what he's doing," Zane replied, narrowing his eyes. She couldn't possibly mean Aster, could she? That would explain why he was hanging around her the other day during the duel.

"Yeah, he's good, he's helping me a lot," Alexis replied.

"Mr. Truesdale!" Shroud called. Zane looked up. "Come on," Shroud ordered.

"My manager," Zane replied. "See ya around, maybe," Zane walked past Alexis to the exit, and Alexis bit her lip.

"Zane!" she called. Zane stopped, but didn't turn. "Would you, maybe, like to get lunch sometime? I'd like to catch up," Alexis asked. Zane was silent for a moment, then kept walking. Alexis sighed.

"I'll think about it," He called. Alexis smiled slightly and nodded, watching him go.

**Maybe it's me, but Zephon's signature card here sent me into flashbacks of Forte from "Beauty and the Beast".**

**Whew, a long "Custom Cards" section today! But I think creating a whole new theme kinda warrants that!**

**Dark Composer**

**4-Star DARK Fiend**

**ATK: 1500**

**DEF: 1000**

**During your Draw Phase, instead of drawing, you may add 1 "Dark Note" card from the deck to your hand.**

**Great Organ**

**Field Spell**

**Destroy this card when you do not control "Dark Composer".**

**Volcanic Dragon**

**4-Star FIRE Dragon**

**ATK: 2200**

**DEF: 0000**

**When this card inflicts damage to your opponent's Life Points or destroys a monster in battle, send 1 card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard.**

**Dark Note – A Sharp**

**Trap**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Negate an opponent's attack and inflict damage to the opponent equal to the attacking monster's ATK. The Battle Phase is now over.**

**Dark Note – B Flat**

**Trap**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Discard 1 "Dark Note" from your hand, and draw 2 cards.**

**Dark Note – C Sharp**

**Spell**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Select 1 "Dark Note" card from your deck and add it to your hand.**

**Dark Note – D Flat**

**Quickplay Spell**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Select 1 face-up monster and receive damage equal to its ATK. Destroy 2 cards on the field.**

**Dark Note – E Flat**

**Trap**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Name a card, and discard 1 card with that name from your opponent's hand. Your opponent selects a card of the same type (Spell, Trap, Monster) from their deck and discards it.**

**Dark Note – F Sharp**

**Trap**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Return one monster on the field to the owner's hand, and gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK**

**Dark Note – G Flat**

**Spell**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ". Both players discard a card from their deck of a type of your choosing (Spell, Trap, Monster).**

**Magnum Opus**

**Spell**

**Activate only when you control "Great Organ", "Dark Composer", and you have seven "Dark Note" cards in your Graveyard that all have different named. Offer 1 "Dark Composer" as tribute to summon "Crescendo, King of Dark Music" from your hand, Deck or Graveyard.**

**Crescendo, King of Dark Music**

**8 Star DARK Fiend**

**ATK: 3000**

**DEF: 2500**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. When this card attacks, increase the ATK of this card by 500 for each card in your Graveyard with "Dark Note" in the name. During the End Phase, this card's ATK becomes its original value.**


	7. Nostalgia

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 7

Nostalgia

"I understand your reluctance to disqualify him, Mr. Kaiba, but Zane represents a considerable danger to the duelists and to the audience. We have numerous reports of him being involved in underground duels, which are grounds for arrest, never mind expulsion from the leagues," the investigator insisted. Mokuba narrowed his eyes and flipped through the report the investigator had brought. Seto had placed the leagues under his control a few years ago as a "present" for his twentieth birthday. His older brother finally realized the younger didn't have the penchant for dueling he did, but did observe his careful involvement with Battle City and the KC Grand Championship tournaments. Coupled with his budding technological genius and strict zero-tolerance for criminals, Seto had come to the conclusion Mokuba was perfect for the position of CEO of the league division. In the end, however, both as a brother and an official employee of Kaiba Corp, Mokuba answered to Seto.

"Underground duels are punishable by law, but until he hurts someone on a Kaiba Corp payroll or directly endangers one of our duelists, he stays. Kaiba Corp has no involvement in the underground league, positive or negative. Talk to the cops if you want some answers," Mokuba replied, handing back the report. The investigator sighed and left the office. Mokuba watched the door closed and buzzed the intercom.

"What did he want?" Kaiba replied.

"He wanted Zane Truesdale disqualified from the leagues," Mokuba explained, tapping a pen on the edge of his desk. "Seto, you know this guy is bad news, why are we letting him stay?" On the other end of the intercom link, Kaiba crossed his arms.'

"Mokuba, Zane is the greatest graduate in Duel Academy's decorated decade-long reign. We've had duelists from all schools and training facilities participate, but we've never had a moment like this before," Kaiba said. "After ten years, finally, an Academy graduate will reign in the leagues. Aster is Pegasus' agent, and he's growing stale. Zane may be intense, but he draws the crowds. As long as he pulls in the money we need, he stays."

"But Seto, he's dangerous! I talked to the shrink in public relations, he thinks Zane needs serious-." The intercom crackled, and Mokuba groaned and slumped back.

* * *

The investigator pushed the button for the elevator and sighed, looking at the report on Zane in his hands and shaking his head. The elevator opened, and he walked inside, hitting the button for the lobby. Another man stepped in just as the doors closed, and grabbed the investigator's collar.

"Alright, spill it, what do you know about Zane?" Mr. Thunder snapped.

"Hey, let me down!" The investigator protested.

"Relax you wimp, I just want some answers. What do you know about Zane's underground duels?" Thunder demanded. The investigator lifted up the report, and Thunder dropped him, snatching the papers and looking through them. "Perfect," he muttered, the elevator doors opening. "Just one more thing left to do. Thanks," Thunder called, walking away into the lobby.

* * *

"Your guest is home," Sartorius said, flipping the page of his novel. Aster nodded and paused his game, standing and walking out of the room. Alexis rounded the corner of the hall and stopped short.

"Oh…how did you know I was here?" she asked. Aster rolled his eyes.

"Sartorius," he explained. "How did Zane's match go?"

"He won, but bare…wait, how did you know where I was?" Alexis asked, narrowing her eyes.

"We have cable, I was watching," Aster replied. "Zane isn't scheduled to duel for another week or so, then he'll face the winner of the Fiona Hoffman and Wu Zheng match."

"Um…Ms. Rhodes?" Alexis turned. "You have a, um…_visitor_," Sean muttered. Alexis frowned and turned to Aster.

"Did you tell anyone I was staying here?" she asked. Aster shook his head, when an arm clamped around Alexis' neck. "Ah!"

"Glomp! Say cheese!" her assailant laughed, bringing a camera around to snap a photo. Alexis blinked away the spots of light as her assailant peeled off of her.

"Damn it, Atticus!" she cursed. Atticus Rhodes chuckled and dodged as she aimed a half-hearted punch. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you kidding, like I can't visit baby sis when she's in the lap of luxury?" Atticus replied, pulling her into a hug and giving her a noogie. Alexis looked around for a save, but Sean was gone and Aster was scratching his nose – and laughing behind his hand, it looked like.

"How did you find me?" Alexis asked when Atticus finally let her go.

"I was watching the TV for Zane's match, saw you in the stands behind him. I hadn't heard from you all summer so I figured I'd tail ya and say hello," he explained. "And from the looks of this place I'd say you're doing pretty well. You dump Jaden for Aster or something?" Alexis blushed while Aster burst out coughing.

"He's helping with my dueling, and I told you about Jaden," Alexis groaned, smacking her forehead. "So, did you just come here to annoy me?"

"Nah, that was just a neat bonus," Atticus grinned. "Mom and Dad had me out looking for ya, we were wondering where you were. It's been a week since we even got a phone call, Lex, really, what's up?"

"I'm eighteen years old, Atticus, I don't need my parents to take care of me," Alexis replied. "I was planning to visit just as soon as I got my career in order. Not all of us can grab a microphone and make money."

"Whoa, low blow," Atticus muttered, holding up his hands. "My music is just as difficult as your dueling. You need rhythm, style, talent and good looks."

"And in your case a history of head trauma," Alexis growled.

"Um, I hate to interrupt the family bonding…" Aster called, waving slightly. "But I'm still standing here." Atticus grinned and moved past Alexis to shake Aster's hand.

"The pro league champ himself, taking in my little sis. You've got a big heart, Asty, unless Lex has already stolen it?" he teased.

"Uh…Asty?" Aster choked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just your sister's coach man, really. We've just been busy training."

"Sure, no prob, you guys wanna start slow that's your choice," Atticus replied with a wink. "Say sis, think we can catch a couple minutes alone?" Alexis nodded and led Atticus into an adjacent room, leaving Aster in the hall. Alexis closed the door behind her as Atticus picked up a cue stick from a rack on the wall and made a few shooting motions on the pool table. The room appeared to be a rec room – as TV and a minibar lay against the far wall, with a poker table nearby.

"What's up?" Alexis asked. Atticus looked up and withdrew the cue stick. All pretense of joking was gone, and Alexis groaned. Atticus never got serious very often, but from her experience, he was usually worse that way.

"I came to talk to you about this little independent streak you've insisted on growing," he said, removing the rack from over the pool balls as he spoke. "I gotta tell ya, Lex, it's getting a little old," Atticus sighed, grabbing the white ball from the side of the table and setting up a shot.

"This isn't a streak, we've been over this before. I don't need you taking care of me," Alexis replied, shaking her head. Atticus broke and sunk two balls, moving to take another shot.

"Maybe not me, but someone. I mean come on, even now you've got Aster giving you a home for a couple days now, and you've got him talking his manager into giving you a sponsorship," Atticus explained, shooting and missing. He offered the stick to Alexis, who rolled her eyes and took it after a moment.

"Sartorius is doing this on his own, Aster just talked him into giving me a chance," Alexis said, shooting and sinking two more balls. "I can take care of myself, Atticus. I'm in the professional leagues, not the sixth grade." Alexis shot and missed, and Atticus swung around the table to grab the cue.

"Look, I'm still your big brother and I'm just trying to look out for ya," he insisted. "Mom and Dad want you to come home with me." Atticus shot and missed, and held the cue out to Alexis. She shook her head and looked at her feet.

"I think you need to go," she muttered. Atticus sighed and gave her a half hug.

"Look, you need us, we're there for you," he whispered, stepping away. He opened the door to the room and walked out, leaving Alexis alone in the rec room. Alexis took a long breath and vaguely noticed the door click shut again.

"How much did you hear?" she asked, looking up. Aster picked up the cue stick and took a shot. The nine ball sunk into the corner pocket.

"I didn't mean to hear anything," he replied, shooting again and sinking a ball.

"Yeah, well look, it's not like it's any of your business," Alexis snapped.

"Hey, no, I get it entirely, really. Your big bro is overprotective and you want to build your own identity," Aster explained, shooting and missing.

"It's not him," Alexis growled, snatching the cue stick and hesitating before shooting. "It's my parents…" she trailed off as she sunk the thirteen ball.

"Love 'em and hate 'em huh?" Aster nodded, not actually knowing from experience but hearing the term all the time.

"_Let your brother watch out for you, Alexis. Your brother is there for you, Alexis. Let us know if you need us for anything, Alexis,_" she mocked. "Gets damn annoying." She shot and sunk another ball. "Seemed not a day went by that one of them wasn't trying to lead me by the hand. I couldn't trip or get called a name without one of them jumping to my rescue. That's why I took up dueling." She missed and passed the cue to Aster.

"What do you mean?" Aster asked, shooting and landing two more balls. Alexis was pretty much rambling right now, but this was the first time she was actually talking to him.

"I know you can have your friends cheer for you and you can be motivated and whatever…but when it comes right down to it, it's just you and your opponent," Alexis murmured, staring off into space. "You have to rely on your own power, to be able to handle yourself and be ready for anything. That was why I enrolled in Duel Academy even before Atticus was captured by the Shadow Riders." Aster stood up and stared for a moment as Alexis kept staring at nothing.

"Gave you the chance to be who you wanted to be, not who the family want, right?" he confirmed. Alexis nodded slightly, then shook her head. The wall was back up.

"I'm gonna grab something to eat. Later," she called over her shoulder, leaving the room.

* * *

"_The first three winners of the tournament have been decided. Zane Truesdale and Jerry Collins have all won their matches, and tomorrow in the Kaiba Dome will be the last match, Richard Pryce will face Ian McDonald, followed by Fiona Hoffman against We Zheng. Then next week Round two begins with Zane Truesdale facing off against the Hoffman-Zheng victor, and Jerry Collins facing the Pyrce-McDonald winner._"

Zane tuned out the news and stood up to walk into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, moving back into the living room. He didn't usually drink, but he figured one now and then couldn't hurt. He stopped as he walked past the couch.

"_Aster has faced a few of these opponents before as you might recall. Ian McDonald faced Aster just last year in an exhibition match for the Kaiba Corporation Create-A-Card Contest II,_" the newscaster said, a small replay of the duel playing on a screen beside him. Zane watched with mild interest. Aster had creamed Ian easily. The Scottish duelist played a Rock deck. _"And before that he faced the favorite to win the tournament, Zane Truesdale." _Zane turned the TV as a clip from his first duel with Aster years ago played.

_"I gotta tell ya, Zaney, well, I, thought you'd be tougher! I'm just getting warmed up!"_

Zane's eyes widened, and the beer slipped from his grasp as he clutched his face. He fell back against the wall and let out a cry. He clenched his eyes shut as a pair of glowing eyes glared from behind the lids. The TV's words blurred in his ears.

_"Show him how you got your name! Shining Enforcement!"_

_"The Demon! It's…"_

_"Young Zane will see…"_

Zane gasped for breath and coughed, falling forward on his hands and knees. His head was swimming and the room spun slightly. He blinked rapidly and put a hand on the arm of the sofa to pull himself up. The TV continued to drone, the story about his match with Aster was surprisingly long over.

_"This will be the first time since he first claimed the championship from his former mentor, the late Kyle Jables, better known by his stage name 'The D'. Jables himself never defended his championship until the infamous Dr. Collector incident, after which the convict vanished and Jables followed suit. All that we know from after his vanishing is that Jables' yacht caught fire near the esteemed Duel Academy, with Aster being the only survivor. A committee of Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corporation awarded Aster the title three months later when Jables was still missing and declared officially deceased. Jables you may remember first came upon the title over a decade ago…"_

Zane stared at the TV as his vision swirled back into focus. He ran a hand through his hair and grunted slightly, his forehead throbbing.

"Where's the damn aspirin?" he muttered to himself, stumbling to the bathroom and pulling open the cabinet. He grabbed a bottle and popped a pair of pills into his mouth, swallowing. Zane put a hand on either side of the sink and took a moment to take a few more breaths as the throbbing sensation in his forehead subsided. Zane turned on the cold water and cupped his hands under the flow, splashing it onto his face and grabbing a towel. Zane dried off and lifted his head to stare at his reflection.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

* * *

An explosion rang down the alley, sending the duelist's coattails flying back behind him. Opposite him, the street thug grinned.

"Sorry ta stain dat pretty blue coat of yours," he laughed. "Dat's what happens when you mess with me! Dat monster of yours is toast! My Masked Beast has got 3200 points, you got nothing that can beat him!" The man in the Obelisk Blue jacket smirked as he drew.

"Is that so? You may want to check your work," he replied. "Do you honestly think you can destroy my monsters without any consequences? I've crushed anyone who's ever stood in my way, and pathetic fools like you are nothing before me. Observe." The man held a card over his head and slammed it into his Duel Disk. "I activate 'Miracle Fusion'!" The thug gasped as a winged red and green monster, along with a gold and blue monster, appeared on the field. "Now, by removing Elemental Heroes Flame Wingman and Sparkman in my graveyard from play, I can call forth the ultimate fusion!" A burst of light appeared from his field, and the thug screamed.

"I summon 'Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman' (2500, 2100)!" the Blue duelist cried. "And if you think he is impressive now, witness his special power! For every Elemental Hero in the graveyard, he gains 300 points! I count Avian, Burstinatrix, and Neos! And next I play 'Burial From a Different Dimension' to return my other two Heroes, for a total of five!" The thug screamed as the gleaming hero (4000, 2100) glowed even brighter.

"And now, Shining Flare Wingman!" The blue duelist sneered, his brown eyes flashing. "Attack! Destroy the Masked Beast with Solar Flare!" The hero raised his hands and fired a blast of flame. The Masked Beast roared as the flames ate away at his flesh, finally shattering. The thug was hit next and flung back the alley in the explosion.

-Thug LP: 0000-

The Obelisk Blue duelist grabbed the thug's collar and hauled him into the air.

"Here, take them!" the thug cried, holding out his deck. He was dropped to the ground as the Blue duelist grabbed the cards and fanned them out.

"These will fetch a good price," he chuckled, picking out four cards. "You can keep the rest!" he tossed the cards over his shoulder into a puddle and walked away, the thug scrambling to gather his cards from the water behind him. He turned for a moment and raised a foot, slamming it into the rear of the thug and knocking his head into the puddle before he kept walking.


	8. Casino Duel! Slot Machine MKII

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 8

Casino Duel! Slot Machine MK-II

The doors to what Alexis supposed would be the backyard in a normal house opened wide. The backyard housed a tennis court in the back, but a large holographic dueling arena was staring Alexis right in the face.

"She's a beauty ain't she?" Aster nodded, walking up behind her. "The thing is practically an antique, ever since Kaiba Corp started manufacturing Duel Disks at large."

"So why keep it around?" Alexis replied, climbing over to the red podium.

"I requested it from Pegasus myself," Sartorius explained, moving past Aster. Behind him, a young woman with long blonde hair and green eyes looked over the arena. She had on blue jeans torn at the knees with a pink tank top. A charm bracelet of spade, heart, diamond and club symbols hung around her left wrist. A pair of earrings shaped like red dice hung from her ears.

"Nice place. I could dig a crib like this," Jaclyn Martingale nodded, following Sartorius to the blue podium. "How much am I getting paid for this anyway?" she asked, stepping on the platform to the console. The platform rose up.

"Five hundred dollars," Sartorius replied. Jaclyn tapped her chin and looked down at him after a moment.

"That's about fifty bucks for each card it'll take to win…meh, I've had worse," she shrugged, pulling out her deck and placing in on the console. It descended into the machine and was auto-shuffled.

"Good luck," Aster said. Alexis nodded and climbed up onto the platform, rising into place. The auto-shuffle opened to receive the deck.

"So, you're the chick who's crashing with Aster," Jaclyn called. "Nice to meet you, I'm Jaclyn. Nothing personal, but I'm gonna have to crush you. I'll buy you lunch afterwards."

"No thanks," Alexis replied, taking out her deck. Aster turned and watched as Sartorius walked up to him, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well then, Aster, shall we proceed?" the manager asked. Aster nodded, and Sartorius looked up between the two women. "Begin!"

-Alexis LP: 4000, Jaclyn LP: 4000-

"I'll start," Alexis cried, drawing. "I summon 'Cyber Boarder' (1800, 1600). That's all for now." The blue and red Cyber girl did a spin as Jaclyn drew. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at the card.

"Nice start. But I'm not worried, I've got an ace up my sleeve, and I mean that quite literally," she smirked.

"You mean you're cheating? No wonder you don't duel pro," Alexis scowled.

"Cheat? What kind of loser do you take me for?" Jaclyn snapped. "Yeesh, ever hear of a pun? I never cheat, for your information. I just meant I happened to have this Spell card." Jaclyn slipped the card onto the console, the hologram appearing in a flash. It showed a pair of handing playing poker with another card hidden under the cuff of the player's sleeve. "Like I said, this card is called 'Ace Up a Sleeve', and it lets me look at the top card of my deck. If it's a Light-Attribute Warrior monster, I can summon it. But if not, my card goes to the Grave, and I take a thousand points of damage," Jaclyn flipped up the card and smiled. "Seems like Lady Luck's husband has a soft spot for ol' Jacky," she chuckled.

"I summon 'Queen's Knight' (1500, 1600) in attack mode!" Jaclyn announced. The blonde knight in red armor appeared in a burst of white light. "And next I summon her faithful partner 'King's Knight' (1600, 1400)!" A second knight rose, this one in orange armor. "And when I summon him alongside Queen's Knight, I can summon 'Jack's Knight' (1900, 1000) to join them!" A third, taller knight in blue appeared between the first two.

"I told you she was as competent as any professional," Sartorius said, glancing at Aster. Aster had his eyes fixed on Jaclyn's field.

"This is what we in the gambling biz call a shut-out! Jack's Knight, take the field and attack! Destroy Cyber Boarder with Royal Slash!" Jaclyn called. The royal warrior charged across the field and raised it sword, cleaving the enemy warrior in two. Alexis cried out at the monster exploded. "Now, King's and Queen's Knights, go forth!" Jaclyn continued. The other two warriors leapt up and slashed at a barrier around Alexis's podium. The barrier sparked as the blades made contact.

-Alexis LP: 800, Jaclyn LP: 4000-

"Alexis!" Aster cried, taking a step forward.

"I'll be fine," Alexis muttered, drawing. "Good move, Jaclyn, but I'm not out yet. I activate the Field Spell 'Ritual Sanctuary'!" Jaclyn looked up as a gleaming white church rose around the field. "Now by sending a Spell from my hand to the Grave, I can take any Ritual card from my deck and place it in my hand. I'll discard 'Ritual Weapon' to retrieve 'Machine Angel Ritual'!" The church background turned into metal as a white portal appeared in front of Alexis. "I sacrifice my 'Mind on Air' in order to summon 'Cyber Angel Idaten' (1600, 2000)!" The pink and black Angel jump out of the portal and backflipped into place.

"And I'll use her special ability to select any Spell card from my Graveyard. And I'll take back the Ritual Weapon I just discarded!" Dakini held a hand into the air as a blue and gold crossbow appeared on the back of her hand. "My Spell raises the power of a Ritual monster by 1500 points!" Alexis cried. "Alright Idaten, take out Jack's Knight with Shining Barrage!" Idaten (3100, 3500) raised her arm and fired a blast of golden lasers. The blue knight was sliced into digital pieces and shattered.

-Alexis LP: 800, Jaclyn LP: 2800-

"Good move, but I'm not finished. I've still got cards in my hand and chips in my pile," Jaclyn smirked, drawing. "I play 'Quick Draw'. This lets both of us draw one card from our decks. And next, your ante, 'Wild Card' (500, 500)!" A small playing card with arms and legs appeared, no eyes or other featured evident on it. The card's back was facing Alexis. "And next, I'll use his special effect! It's a trade-off, Alexis, I give up one card and get one back!" Wild Card flipped over to show Alexis the face. Aster gasped as the Jack's Knight card glowed and reappeared.

"But as much as I like the royal family, I've always had a soft spot for the forgotten cards of the deck," Jaclyn laughed, sliding a card into play. "I activate 'Polyermization'. I sacrifice my three Knights!" The warriors turned into balls of light and floated around the field before slamming into each other. A tall, black-suited knight rose from the field. A sword shaped like an elongated spade-symbol was in his hand, a shield like a heart on the back of his other hand. Purple hair ran down his back.

"Meet my personal favorite fifty-third card, 'Arcana Knight Joker' (3800, 2500)!" Jaclyn called. "Now to cause a little damage! Arcana Knight, attack with Royal Flush!" The knight roared and slashed the sword horizontally, a flurry of playing cards erupting from the blade and zooming across the field. Idaten screamed as the torrential shattered her crossbow.

-Alexis LP: 100, Jaclyn LP: 2800-

"I'll wrap up my turn by playing a little number I like to call '7'." Jaclyn finished. A glowing red seven floated up behind the Joker Knight as Alexis drew.

"C'mon, Alexis!" Aster shouted. Alexis gave him a quick glare before going back to the duel.

"I'll place two cards face-down, and summon 'Cyber Gymnast' (800, 1800) in attack mode. And next I'll use her special ability. By sending a card in my hand, like my 'Fulfillment of the Contract', to the discard pile, I can destroy one of your monsters in attack position. So wave goodbye to your Arcana Knight!" The brown gymnast flung out a hand and hurled a dagger across the field.

"Do you think my Arcana Knight is so easily defeated?" Jaclyn scoffed. "Arcana Knight has a special ability. Whenever he would be destroyed by a card effect, if I happen to discard the same type of card that is destroying him, he survives! Now, since he is being destroyed by a monster, I can ditch a card of the same type from my hand to negate his destruction! Now, since he's being destroyed by a card effect, I simply have to discard my 'Slot Machine' to block that assault!" The dagger screeched to a halt and exploded.

"My Gymnast is vulnerable!" Alexis cried.

"This is not good," Sartorius muttered. Aster clenched his fist.

"I'll assume you're done, so I'll draw now," Jaclyn said, drawing again. "I play my second '7' card. And now, Arcana Knight Joker, attack her directly and end this duel!" The Joker slashed and sent another flurry of playing cards across the field.

"I reveal my Trap card 'Mirror Force'!" Alexis said, flipping the card up. "This card calls off your attack and destroys your monster!"

"Not so fast! Arcana Knight, activate your effect! I send the Trap 'Straight Flush' to the discard slot to cancel out your Trap!" Jaclyn countered.

"Not yet, I have a second face-down card! Reveal 'Pure Pupil'! As long as I have a monster with less than 1000 points, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it!"

"You don't learn," Jaclyn scowled. "I discard…" Jaclyn looked at her hand and gasped. "No!"

"I'm guessing you remembered, your Arcana Knight requires you to discard a Trap, and from the shocked look on your face, it seems you're all out!" Alexis cried. A blast of fire shot out from Alexis' trap and engulfed the Joker.

"Arcana Knight!" Jaclyn moaned, watching the monster burn.

"That's more like it!" Aster shouted, nodding. Sartorius watched him with a strange smile.

"My move, now!" Alexis said, drawing. "I sacrifice my Cyber Gymnast in order to summon 'Cyber Discus' (2400, 1400)." The new Cybergirl had blue skin under a purple bodysuit, and a pair of razor-sharp discs in her hands. "Cyber Discus, attack Jaclyn directly!" Alexis commanded. The girl whooped and flung the discs across the field. Jaclyn cringed as the hologram shot through her. "And whenever Cyber Discus destroys one of your monsters, you have to discard a card!" Jaclyn glared and sent '7 Complete' to the Graveyard. "That's all for now," Alexis finished.

-Alexis LP: 100, Jaclyn LP: 600

"I'm not gonna lose," Jaclyn muttered, drawing. She smiled. "Perfect. I activate the final card '7'!" A third glowing even symbol appeared. "And now that I control three of them, I can activate their special abilities! First, I gain 2100 Life Points! Then, I banish all three of them to the discard pile and draw three new cards!" Jaclyn drew with a smirk.

"Well well, seems Jacky hit the jackpot! I play the Spell card 'Silent Doom'! This nifty card lets me revive a normal monster from my Graveyard in defense mode, and I choose 'Slot Machine' (2000, 2300)!" A giant, gleaming machine rose onto Jaclyn's field, three slot dials on its chest. "Next I activate the Spell card 'Polymerization'!" Jaclyn called. "I'll use it fuse the Slot Machine on the field the 'Roulette Barrel' (1000, 2000) in my hand!" Alexis' eyes widened as a cloud of dust enveloped Jaclyn's field. As the smoke cleared, a hulking form loomed from the cloud. The machine was covered in gleaming dark blue metal, with a pair of large cannons slung over either shoulder. It's left arm jutted out forward and ended in a spiked mace, and the right was flat and had a coin slot on the palm. Three silver slot dials were displayed on the monster's chest.

"Behold my favorite card, 'Slot Machine Mk-II' (2450, 3000)! And if you think he's impressive now, just wait! Slot Machine, give the reels a spin!" Jaclyn commanded. The mace arm of the machine creaked down and sprung back up, the reels spinning. One by one, they slid to a stop to display three 'lemon' symbols. "Three lemons. That means I get an extra thousand chips! And with that taken care of, Slot Machine MK-II, attack Cyber Discus!" The machine's arm cranked again, and a bombardment of golden coins flew out of the coin tray below the slots. Cyber Discus let out a cry as the coins exploded around her.

-Alexis LP: 50, Jaclyn LP: 3700

"I think I've done enough damage for one turn, so I'll end," Jaclyn smiled. Alexis scowled.

"Alexis, keep going! Like Jaden always used to say, a duel's not over until the last card is played!" Aster cried. Alexis flinched visibly, but nodded.

"I'm going to win this!" she snapped, drawing.

"Unlikely, seeing as how even if you manage to get rid of my Slot Machine, which you won't, I've still got more Life Points than ever. There's no way you can deplete a chip stack like this in a single move," Jaclyn countered. Alexis looked at her hand.

"I play 'Pot of Greed'. This lets me draw two more cards from my deck," she said, doing so. Alexis gasped. "Oh no!"

"Let me guess, no good?" Jaclyn yawned. "Hey, don't sweat it, you made some good bets, but sooner or later the antes get too big to handle." Alexis gritted her teeth.

"I have to…wait a minute!" she muttered, reaching into her pocket. She drew her deck case and took out a card. "I nearly forgot about this!" she cried, smiling. She looked up at Jaclyn and put her deck case away, keeping the single card in her hand. "You want to make this a casino duel, Jaclyn? You can bring all your cards and games, I'll be bringing the dancing girls."

"What are you babbling about?" Jaclyn demanded. "If your monsters are so hot, roll 'em out!"

"You got it! I activate 'Landscaping'! This handy card changes the scenery, by destroying the current Field and letting me replace it with another Field from my deck. And I choose 'Fusion Gate'!" Jaclyn stepped back as the chapel field crumbled to reveal a network of glowing blue grids.

"I do believe Alexis is about to win," Sartorius muttered. Aster nodded.

"I use the effect of Fusion Gate! It lets me summon a Fusion monster without the need for a Polymerization card! I fuse together 'Etoile Cyber' with 'Cyber Tutu' to bring out this!" The blue grids flashed as a tall, lean monster floated out of them. Pink, purple and blue spirals of silk ran down her arms, and long pink hair down her back. Her skin was a swirl of red and blue. A long blue skirt with red frills covered her lower body.

"Give it up for my new pal 'Cyber Ballerina' (2000,1500)!" Alexis cried. "Alright, Ballerina attack! Doom Spin!" The dancer held her hands up and kicked into a rapid spin, jumping up into the air.

"She doesn't have the power to beat my Slot Machine!" Jaclyn protested.

"Who said I was attacking your monster?" Alexis asked. "Cyber Ballerina can bypass your defenders and attack you directly. But there's more, because whenever she attacks due to her special effect, her attack power doubles!"

"Say what?!?" Jaclyn shrieked. The ballerina dropped down and delivered a high kick. Jaclyn screamed and stumbled back and tripped over the back of the podium, falling back with a thud.

-Alexis LP: 50, Jaclyn LP: 0000-

"And that's game!" Alexis laughed grabbing her deck and jumping down from the podium before the platform finished descending.

"_Very_ impressive Ms. Rhodes. I'm glad to see that my trust in you was not misplaced," Sartorius said, walking over to her and offering a hand. "Ms. Martingale and I must discuss her fee, but afterwards, come inside and we'll get these contracts signed right away." Alexis nodded and shook his hand as Jaclyn stepped up behind her.

"Day-_am_, Rhodes, nice skills. Hey, you ever want to throw down again, gimme a call," Jaclyn offered. Alexis turned and nodded as Jaclyn followed Sartorius into the house.

"Way to go," Aster offered, leaning back against the podium. Alexis nodded again.

"Thanks. For everything, I mean. Maybe now I can finally get my career going for real," she replied. "It was close, but I pulled it off."

"No biggie," Aster shrugged. "It's like I said, or like Jaden used to say, or whatever, just believe. You've got a real bond with your deck, Alexis, and that's something not too many pros have. It's also the makings of some of the best duelists in the world."

"Yeah, a bond with your deck," Alexis muttered, narrowing her eyes. Aster noticed and stood up.

"What's up? What did I say this time?" he asked. "Is it that Jaden comment or something?"

"Look, it's something no one needs to hear about," Alexis replied.

"Yeah, well I wanna. Obviously something is bugging you, so spill it. Where is he, what happened to him?" Aster demanded. Alexis sighed and waved at a patio set.

"Sit down," she whispered, doing so. Aster pulled out the chair opposite her and sat. "I don't know where he is. He vanished about half-way through our third year, after…" Alexis trailed off.

"Come on, tell me," Aster urged. Alexis closed her eyes.

"Alright, but trust me, if you even consider Jaden half the kind of friend I used to, you're not going to like this," she warned.

**Ace Up a Sleeve**

**Spell**

**Flip up the top card of your deck. If it is a Light-Attribute Warrior monster, Special Summon it. If not, shuffle that card into your deck. You take 1000 damage.**

**Quick Draw**

**Spell**

**Both players draw 1 card.**

**Wild Card**

**3 Star LIGHT Warrior**

**ATK: 500**

**DEF: 500**

**Offer this card as Tribute to Special Summon one monster in your Graveyard that was destroyed as a result of battle.**

**Cyber Discus**

**5 Star DARK Warrior**

**ATK: 2400**

**DEF: 1400**

**When this card inflicts damage to your opponent's Life Points, your opponent discards one card. When this card is destroyed, draw 1 card.**

**Slot Machine MK-II**

**8 Star DARK Machine/Fusion**

**ATK: 2450**

**DEF: 3000**

**Slot Machine + Roulette Barrel**

**Once per turn, roll a six sided die and activate one of the following effects depending on the results:**

**1 – destroy 1 card on the field**

**2 – draw 1 card**

**3 – gain 1000 Life Points**

**4 – decrease your opponent's Life Points by half**

**5 – draw 3 cards**

**6 – nothing**

**Landscaping**

**Spell**

**Activate only when there is a face-up Field Spell. Shuffle that Field Spell into the owner****'****s deck, and activate 1 Field Spell from your deck.**

**Cyber Ballerina**

**7 Star EARTH Warrior/Fusion**

**ATK: 2000**

**DEF: 1500**

**Etoile Cyber + Cyber Tutu**

**This card can only be special summoned by Fusion Summon. This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If this card attacks your opponent directly using this card****'s effect,**** double the original ATK of this card.**


	9. Betrayal, Jaden vs The Elemental Heroes

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 9

Betrayal – Jaden vs. The Elemental Heroes

"Hey, what's up guys?" Jaden asked, running down the hall. Beside him, Alexis frowned and jogged to keep up. Hassleberry and Syrus turned and shushed him. The two were clustered around the door to Chancellor Sheppard's office.

"Quiet!" Syrus urged. Jaden put his ear to the door and listened.

"I don't care how good his dueling skills are, he is a detriment to the grades of this school. Getting rid of him would bring our school's GPA up eight whole points. I'm afraid I will have to exercise my authority. Mr. Yuki must leave the school," the voice inside said. Jaden gasped, and the voice grunted. There was a beep, and the door slid open.

"Ah, Jaden. We were just talking about you," Chancellor Sheppard said nervously, standing up. Jaden nodded and walked inside, staring at the large man in the blue blazer. The brunette adult glared down at him. A custom Duel Disk painted a brighter silver was on his left arm. "Jaden, meet Professor Pryce, he's our new superintendent, recently appointed at the start of the third semester." Sheppard explained.

"Huh? But wasn't the super-." Jaden started.

"Kagemaru was a fool," Pryce snapped, glaring down at him. "He let you remain in this school only so he could feed on your duel spirit. But I will not be subject to such superstitious nonsense. I am in charge now, and I am afraid I shall be taking action against you, Mr. Yuki."

"Action? What did I do?" Jaden protested.

"You didn't do a thing, and that's exactly the problem. Your grades have been steadily declining. Your duels are all that are keeping you from total failure. Out of a total of fifty-four written exams throughout your three years thus far, you have passed only three. You are an embarrassment to this school in more ways than one, and I am afraid now you must pay," Pryce growled.

"No way, there must be a way!" Alexis protested. Pryce thought for a moment and tapped his chin.

"Perhaps…tell me, do you wield the Neos deck I've heard so much about?" he asked.

"What, you mean the Neo-Spacians? Yeah, they're here," Jaden replied, holding up his deck. Pryce smiled.

"Then I'll make you a deal. Duel and defeat me, and I promise you will graduate this academy at the top of your class, all your previous tests shall upgraded to As automatically. But lose, and not only will you be expelled, but I get to demand anything I want from you," he sneered.

"What? No way Sarge, ya can't take a battle with spoils like that," Hassleberry protested.

"Given the alternative of outright expulsion, what choice does he have? So, do we have a deal?" Pryce asked, holding out a hand.

"Totally, I'm always ready to throw down," Jaden replied, shaking his head. Pryce smiled.

"Now, no pressure. This duel will only affect everything you've ever worked for here!" Pryce laughed, turning on his duel disk. Jaden nodded and turned on his own.

"Alright, teach, get your game on!"

-Jaden LP: 4000, Pryce LP: 4000-

"I'll start," Pryce said, drawing. "I place three cards face-down, and activate 'Confiscation'. Now I can look at your hand, and discard any card I choose at the cost of 1000 points." Jaden nodded and held his cards out. Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Necroshade, Elemental Hero Neos, Polyermization, and Bubble Rod. "Get rid of Necroshade," Pryce commanded. Jaden nodded and discarded the card. "Alright, that's all."

"You got it," Jaden said, drawing. "Now I play…"

"Hold that thought!" Pryce laughed. "I activate 'The Eye of Truth'!" The trap shot a ray of light at Jaden's Duel Disk. "As long as this card remains in play, I can see your hand!" Five holograms appeared over Jaden's head. Pryce nodded at the sight of Jaden's newly drawn card, Common Soul.

"Now back to my move, and I'll use the effect of Necroshade in the Graveyard. Now he lets me summon an Elemental Hero, and I don't have to make a sacrifice! So I'll roll out 'Elemental Hero Neos' (2500, 2000)!" The space Hero appeared in a flourish of karate chops. "Sorry teach, maybe next time you should pay attention to what you make me discard." Jaden advised.

"You foolish boy, don't you think I was expecting that? I saw your hand, and knew exactly what you do!" Pryce laughed. "I _wanted_ you to play your Hero, because now I can use this! I activate 'Phoenix Wing Wind Blast'!" A massive torrent of wind burst over the field, and Neos was flung into the air. "Now by sending 'Magical Blast' to the Grave, I can send any card on your side of the field to the top of your deck." Jaden grimaced.

Not good," Alexis murmured. "Not only is Jaden going to all but lose his next Draw Phase, but he also lost his summon."

"I see by the holograms on the wall the other cards in your hand are useless, so I'll go," Pryce sneered, drawing. "And now, behold my next card 'Conscription'! Now I get to look at the top of your deck, and then, if it is a Spell or Trap card, it gets added to your hand. But, if it happens to be a Monster card, I can call it to my side of the field!" Jaden gasped. "And thanks to my other Trap, I know exactly what you have! The top card of your deck is Elemental Hero Neos!" Pryce crowed. Jaden looked down as the Neos card vanished in a glimmer of golden light. Pryce held up his hand as the card appeared on his Duel Disk.

"Sam hill!" Hassleberry cried.

"Jaden!" Syrus screamed, jumping up.

"Neos is mine!" Pryce roared, casting out a hand over the field. A glowing white circle appeared in front of him, the gleaming silver Hero rising up in a puff of smoke. "Now, I know your grades are poor, but when your opponent has a monster with 2500 points, and you have nothing in your hand or on the field for protection, I assume even _you_ can figure out what comes next! Elemental Hero Neos, attack Jaden directly! Silver Strike!" Neos leapt up and raised a hand, bringing down a devastating karate chop. Jaden let out a scream and collapsed.

"No!" Alexis cried.

-Pryce LP: 3000, Jaden LP: 1500-

"Getting attacked by your own soldier, nothin's lower than that," Hassleberry muttered. Jaden slowly climbed to his feet and drew. The hologram of Elemental Hero Bubbleman appeared above his head in his hand.

"Alright, now it's my move, and the reverse effect of your Eye of Truth activates. Since I'm holding a Spell card, I get a thousand point boost!" Jaden called.

"And trust me, you'll need every last one of them!" Pryce laughed. Jaden scowled.

-Pryce LP: 3000, Jaden LP: 2500-

"I summon 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman' (800, 1200) in attack mode," he announced. "And when Bubbleman is called out all alone, he calls for backup, in the form of two more cards," Jaden drew, and Pryce's eyes lit up. De-Fusion and Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab. "And next I'll hook up Bubbleman with the Equip Spell 'Bubble Rod'! This gives Bubbleman 800 extra points!" The blue Hero held up his hand as a glowing blue staff appeared in a flash of light.

"So, it's still not enough to defeat my Neos. Try again," Pryce sneered.

"I'm not done! Next, I'll roll out 'Polyermization'. I'll take one part 'Avian', mix in some Bubbleman, and bring out 'Elemental Hero Mariner' (1400, 1500)!" The aquatic hero appeared in a burst of water. "Now I'll toss down a face down, and activate Mariner's super power! If I have a face down card, he gets to attack you directly!" Pryce scowled as the hero leapt out and whirled an anchor overhead. "Mariner, attack!" Jaden yelled. The hero roared and flung down the anchor. Pryce cringed as a cloud of dust exploded when the anchor hologram passed through him.

-Pryce LP: 1600, Jaden : 2500-

"Ya know teach, if this duel was just for fun, you should really be enjoying it more," Jaden said. Pryce growled as he drew.

"Fun? You think I challenged you for fun?" he sneered.

"Well, yeah, why else would you want to duel me?" Jaden explained. Pryce snorted.

"You just answered your own question. I'm only willing to let you stay here if you win, but to do that, you must first learn the greatest lesson of dueling, and indeed, all life," he replied.

"What lesson is that?" Jaden asked. Pryce grinned.

"Rather than tell you, I'll show you! Neos, attack!" he shouted. Neos leapt up and aimed a kick at the Mariner. "I've already seen your face down card, so go ahead and activate it already," Pryce laughed.

"You got it! I reveal my 'De-Fusion', splitting Bubbleman and Avian apart!" Mariner flashed white and split, Avian and Bubbleman diving aside as Neos' kick hit empty air.

"Predictable as always. As a duelist you must be willing to move past the familiar and always find new strategies. Now then, I place one card face-down and end my turn,"

"Sweet. My move," Jaden said, drawing. Pryce looked up at the holograms of Jaden's hand. Common Soul, Flare Scarab, Polyermization, and Sparkman. Perfect. Pryce smirked. _"Now it's time to take this lesson up a notch!"_

-Pryce LP: 1600, Jaden LP: 3500-

"I play the Spell card 'Polymerization'. I'll fuse together my Sparkman, Bubbleman, and Avian! Give a big round of applause for 'Elemental Hero Tempest' (2800, 2800)!" Jaden cried. There was a swirl of yellow and blue light as the blue and green hero flew onto the field.

"Ah, you summoned a monster powerful enough to defeat my Neos," Pryce chuckled. "And now it's time to destroy him, right?" Jaden growled. "What are you waiting for? You can render me defenseless in one attack. Unless…you don't want to destroy Neos, do you?"

"I guess I end my turn," Jaden muttered.

"Hah, pathetic. Now you see what kind of duelist you really are," Pryce sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaden protested.

"To win you must be willing to do whatever it takes, even if you must cast aside your own monsters. Childish beliefs like Duel Spirits, friendship and trust can only take you so far! To truly succeed in the dueling world you must be willing to do anything to claim victory! And unless you're willing to get rid of Neos to defeat me, then you'll never become a champion!" Pryce crowed. "Your monsters are nothing but servants, and if you insist on holding onto an immature bond with them, you will never defeat me!"

"No way dude, you're wrong. My deck and I believe in each other, and that lets us overcome any challenge! We can beat you!" Jaden countered.

"Can you? If your bond is so strong, let's see it survive my face down card! I reveal 'Hand Control'!" Pryce shouted. "It lets me name a Spell card, and if you are holding it, I can play that card! And since I can see your hand, I know you're holding the Spell card 'Common Soul'! But, since I am activating it, I get to choose the target of its effect! And guess which monster I pick!" Jaden gasped as the Common Soul hologram appeared on his field.

"By the effect of Common Soul, I'll summon one Neo-Spacian from your hand to my side of the field! And I choose 'Flare Scarab' (500, 500)!" Pryce said. There was a plume of flame on Pryce's field as the fiery insect rose up. "Now, I'll use Scarab's effect. For every Spell and Trap on your side of the field, he gets 400 points. And by the effect of Common Soul, all those points are generously donated to Neos!" A band of yellow energy flowed out of Flare Scarab (900, 500) and into Neos (3400, 2000).

"But I'm afraid I'm not done. I play the Spell card 'Pot of Greed', which lets me draw two cards. And then I play 'Riryoku'! It drains away half the points of your Tempest and adds them to Neos!" Neos (4800) glowed even brighter, while Tempest (1400) groaned and stumbled forward.

"Not again!" Syrus cried.

"Hang in there Jaden!" Alexis cried.

"Neos, attack Hero Tempest! Silver Strike!" Pryce commanded. Neo zoomed across the field and delivered a hard karate chop to Tempest. The large Hero roared.

"I'll use Tempest's effect! By sending Common Soul to the Graveyard, Tempest survives!" Jaden called. Flare Scarab flashed as it vanished, the card returning to Jaden's hand.

"Which is more than I can say for your Life Points!" Pryce sneered.

-Pryce LP: 1600, Jaden: 100

"I place a card face down and end my turn," Pryce finished.

"My move," Jaden said, drawing.

-Pryce LP: 1600, Jaden LP: 1100-

"I play 'Graceful Charity'. Now I can draw three cards, as long as I discard two." Jaden drew. The holograms of Burstinatrix, Flare Scarab, Spark Blaster and Pot of Greed appeared above his head. "I discard Spark Blaster and Flare Scarab, and active 'Pot of Greed' to draw two more cards!" Jaden drew, and Pryce's eyes went wide at Jaden's new cards. Miracle Fusion and Hero Dice. "I summon 'Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200, 800), and play the Spell card 'Miracle Fusion'. So by removing Burstinatrix and Avian from play, I can summon 'Elemental Hero Flame Wingman' (2100, 1200)!"

"Yeah, his highest ranking monster!" Hassleberry cheered.

"So what, you're still unwilling to get rid of my Neos, so what does it matter?" Pryce sneered.

"I'd never destroy Neos! He and I are friends, and I don't need to get rid of him to win! I play the Spell card 'Hero Dice'!" A glowing red die appeared in the air and rolled onto the field. It slowed to a stop on six. "Sweetness! Now my Wingman can attack you directly!"

"Way to play, Jay!" Sryus called.

"Flame Wingman, attack Pryce directly! Skydive Scorcher!" Jaden yelled. Flame Wingman leapt up into the air and covered itself with flames before going into a nosedive. "School's out, teach!" Jaden laughed.

"Not so fast! Your bond with your deck overcomes anything? Overcome the fierce power of 'Gravity Well'!" Pryce roared. A large, black pit appeared in the middle of the field. A torrent of wind whipped past the two duelists. "Nothing can escape its intense gravity, so watch as all Warriors on the field are crushed into atoms!" Pryce laughed. Jaden gasped as Neos, Tempest and Flame Wingman was drawn into the black vortex.

"My move," Pryce said, drawing. His eyes lit up, and he looked up at Jaden with a sneer. "It's been lots of fun, Mr. Yuki, but the game is over. You claim your bond with your deck can overcome anything, but it has failed you!"

"Bring it on teach, I'm ready!" Jaden countered.

"Are you ready for this! It's the Spell card 'Scrap Fusion'!" Pryce laughed. "It lets me fuse together monsters in the Grave into a new beast! Except it doesn't fuse my monsters. It fuses _yours_!"

"Say what?!" Jaden cried. A white light shone from his Duel Disk as Sparkman and Flame Wingman flew out in a flash of light.

"I call forth 'Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman' (2500, 2100)!" Pryce yelled. "And now, you have no cards in hand, none in your Graveyard, and none on the field to stop me! Let's see your bond with your deck survive this! Shining Flare Wingman attack!" The shining white hero flew up in the air and held up his hands, a giant ball of fire forming. "End of the line, Mr. Yuki! Wingman, destroy him!" Pryce snapped. Flare Wingman nodded and threw the fireball through the air towards Jaden. Jaden let out a scream of agony as the fire exploded at his feet.

* * *

"No way…he got expelled?" Aster gasped. Alexis nodded and stared at the floor.

"I've never seen anything like it…Pryce just destroyed him, he manipulated his every move, every emotion, he turned his bond with his deck against him," she whispered.

"That punk! That's low," Aster growled. "What happened to Jaden after that?"

"Pryce let him stay a day to say his goodbyes and gather his things, but he left the island the next day. I haven't seen him since," Alexis replied.

"How did a scum like Pryce did a job like that? Jaden was one of the best duelists there was!" Aster sighed.

"It's just that, I mean, Jaden's lost now and then…Pryce was just so mean to him. He was willing to do anything to win, no matter who or what he had to destroy to do it. That's just disgusting," Alexis spat. Aster nodded and turned his head aside. Victory at any cost…

"Yeah…I guess it is," he replied

**Gravity Well**

**Trap **

**Declare a type of monster. Destroy all monsters on the field of that type.**


	10. Blocked at Every Card

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 10 

Blocked at Every Card

"Is he ready?" Alicia asked, lighting a cigarette. The Schroeder heiress was sitting in a private box overlooking the Kaiba Dome.

"I've spoken to Zane. He's prepared to taken Fiona down," Shroud assured her.

"Good. From what I hear she's a formidable opponent," Alicia chuckled. Below, the lights flashed on around the dome.

"Folks, it's been an intense week, but round three is about to begin! Tonight, live from the Kaiba Dome, Zane Truesdale faces off against Fiona Hoffman! And Thursday night, Mr. Jerry Collins will square off against Richard Pryce! And once the winners meet, the best of eight will go on to face Aster Phoenix for the championship crown!" The announcer called.

* * *

_"In just one week we may be crowning a new champion!"_

"We'll see about that," Mr. Thunder muttered, turning off the TV and turning around. He picked the report he picked up at Kaiba Corp from the hotel table behind him, and flipped through to the highlighted section.

"With this knowledge, Zane's going down," he said, picking up the Duel Disk from beside the report and sliding it onto his wrist.

"Enough planning. Time to get to work," he scowled, marching out of the room.

* * *

"The match begins…do you think Zane will win?" Sartorius asked, looking up from his novel. Aster crossed his arms.

"Does it matter? I'll win in the end," he replied. "Come on, Sartorius, I was destined to win the title, and I'm not going to lose it."

"Yes…destiny…" Sartorius murmured. _"After all this time, Aster, you should realize destiny is a fickle thing…"_

* * *

"Now entering the arena, the Dark Dominator of Dueling, Zane Truesdale!" the announcer yelled. Zane ignored the title as he opened the door to the arena and walked into the centre. He caught a glimpse of familiar white and blue to the right and gasped, spinning full around.

"What is she doing here?" he hissed, staring at Alexis. The girl in question gulped and averted his gaze. Zane gritted he teeth and regained his composure.

* * *

Aster narrowed his eyes at Zane's reaction, and the cameraman who panned up to show why.

"I'm going out," he muttered, standing up. Sartorius nodded and smiled as Aster left the room.

"I always knew a girl would be his undoing someday," he chuckled, turning the page of his book.

* * *

"And his opponent, from Philadelphia in the United States, the computer whiz who's the best in the biz, Fiona Hoffman!" Zane looked one as a teenage girl walked up to him. Fiona had long, straight brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a simple blue T-shirt and jeans.

"Nice clothes. You get those out of a bargain bin?" Zane sneered, holding out his deck. Fiona handed hers to him and started shuffling, staring at him blankly. Zane narrowed his eyes. For a kid who looked at least five years his junior, she was creeping him out.

"You are the duelist who plays the Machine deck of darkness," Fiona stated, handing his deck back.

"Yeah, so?" Zane replied, giving her own cards back. Fiona nodded.

"I shall win," she said, walking back into position. Zane snorted and followed suit.

"Life points set! Let the duel begin!" the announcer cried.

"Get ready for pain!" Zane roared, flinging out his Duel Disk. Fiona nodded and turned on her own.

-Zane LP: 4000, Fiona LP: 4000-

"My move," Zane said, drawing. He looked at his hand and smirked. "_Exploder Dragon and Cyberdark Keel. Combined, I can clear out her field and take out half her points on my next turn,_" he thought. "I call 'Exploder Dragon' (1000, 0000)!" A small black dragon with a round, yellow explosive appeared in front of Zane with a roar. "Your turn," Zane finished. Fiona put a hand on her deck and closed her eyes, bowing her head. "Well, hurry up!" Zane snapped. Fiona was silent for several moments before lifting her head.

"When I attack, you will use Exploder Dragon's effect to destroy my monster. Then, you will summon a Cyberdark card, and use your fallen dragon to power it up and severely damage my Life Points," she recited. Zane's eyes went wide as she drew. "However, potent as such a strategy is, it is also quite obvious, and I have the exact card to nullify it. I summon 'Nanobreaker' (1600, 1800)." A woman in bright violet armor appeared holding a glowing blue sword.

"An excellent play by Hoffman! Once again this genius' analytical powers prove unmatched!" the announcer cried.

"Nanobreaker, attack Exploder Dragon!" Fiona said. The woman nodded and dashed across the field.

"Like you said, I'll use my dragon's effect. Both our monsters are destroyed!" Zane roared. Exploder Dragon screeched and threw the explosive into Nanobreaker. There was a loud explosion as the woman was consumed in flame. "So much for your big plan," Zane sneered. Fiona held up a hand and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Nanobreaker dashed out of the fire and slashed apart Exploder Dragon with a cry. "What? How did your monster survive?" Zane demanded.

"It is quite simple. Nanobreaker's effect automatically destroys any monster she attacks that has three stars or less. And, as your dragon's power only activates when destroyed in battle, it cannot effect my Nanobreaker," Fiona explained. "Now, I shall activate the Spell card 'Metalsilver Armor'." A shining suit of black metal appeared over Nanobreaker with a flowing red cape. "I shall now end my turn," Fiona finished. Zane scowled as his drew.

"You overlooked a problem with your strategy! I still have 'Cyberdark Keel' (800, 800)!" he cried. A black metal serpent with various loose circuits appeared with a roar. "And now, I'll use his special effect! He can go grave robbing, and steal the power of a fallen dragon! Exploder Dragon, revive!" Zane commanded. The loose circuits hanging from the machine rose into the air and floated towards Zane's Duel Disk. Fiona shook her hand and snapped her fingers.

"I am afraid I shall have to intervene," she said in a monotone voice. A glowing blue barrier appeared over the Graveyard slot of Zane's Duel Disk. With a spark, the circuits changed course and zoomed across the field towards Nanobreaker. The woman slashed and sliced apart the wires as they neared, and Cyberdark Keel let out a roar of agony as the circuits cut loose from its body.

"What did you do?" Zane snarled, clenching his fist.

"It is quite simple. Your Cyberdark Keel targets a monster in the Graveyard. However, the effect of Metalsilver Armor redirects any card effect that targets a monster in the discard slot or the field to the monster wearing it. Thus, your Keel must target my Nanobreaker, but because it is not a dragon nor is it in the Grave, your monster's effect cannot harm it and is void," Fiona explained. Zane gritted his teeth. "Upon starting this duel, you had approximately a forty-seven percent change of victory. Now, without your fallen dragons to empower your beasts, you have only a forty-one percent chance."

"Shut up!" Zane sneered. "I place a card face down, and end my turn," he muttered. Fiona nodded and drew.

"And with his offensive gone, Zane is forced on the defensive! It seems this pro may have finally met his match!" the announcer shouted. Zane scowled.

_"Not if I can help it."_

* * *

"It seems Zane is out of his league here," Alicia muttered, pulling a cellphone from her pocket as it rang. "Yes?"

_"Phoenix is on the move," _the caller said. Alicia nodded.

"Take him," she replied, hanging up. Shroud gave her an odd look.

"Who was that?" he asked. Alicia smirked and crossed her arms.

"My insurance policy," she whispered.

* * *

"I activate 'Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards," Fiona said, doing so. She looked at her hand and thought. _"Now that his main offence is nullified, he will likely fall back to his secondary offences, his Cyber Dragons and other dragons," _she thought. "I discard 'Fairy's Hand Mirror' and 'Seven Tools of the Bandit'," she said. "Next, I summon 'Helping Robo for Combat' (1600, 0000)." A gangly silver robot with a glowing yellow eye and a ray gun appeared. "Helping Robo, attack Cyberdark Keel," Fiona said. The robot fired a blast of blue light. Keel thrashed in the ray before it exploded, sending a gust of wind past Zane. "Now, whenever Helping Robo destroys a monster, I can draw a card, and return a card from my hand to my deck," Fiona said, doing so. "And, Nanobreaker, attack Zane directly."

"Activate Trap!" Zane snapped. "It's called 'Cyber Summon', and it activates whenever you attack me. Now I can play 'Cyber Phoenix' (1200, 1600) in defense mode!" A shining silver and red bird appeared in front of Zane, wings folded in. Nanobreaker slashed and was thrown back in a blast of wind. Fiona pursed her lip.

"I shall set a card and end my turn," she finished.

"He be cut off at every card, but Zane is holding on! Let's see if he can take advantage of this temporary upset!" the announcer said.

-Zane LP: 3200, Fiona LP: 4000-

"I'll show you upset! I sacrifice my Cyber Phoenix to summon 'Hell Kaiser Dragon' (2400, 1500)!" A black serpent with large black wings and a glowing red jewel on its chest appeared with a roar. "I know he may not seem like much now, but just wait. I activate the Spell card 'Quick Summon'. Now I can summon another monster! Actually, I think I'll just use my dragon's effect," a purple aura spread over the Hell Kaiser Dragon as Zane held up his Spell card. "See, my dragon has a pretty special effect that lets me summon him twice, and since I summoned him twice, I might as use him to attack twice!" Zane laughed. The black dragon fired a blast of flame. Nanobreaker and Robo melted over and collapsed in the heat.

"Good move, but my Life Points are safe," Fiona said. "I reveal my Trap card 'Download'. It lets me download the attack data of a destroyed machine right to my Life Points. The battle damage you tried to inflict is 1600 points, exactly the amount my Nanobreaker has. Thus, the damage I take is void." Zane scowled.

"Even on the defense, Fiona takes the lead! Can this genius be stopped?" the announcer asked.

"Allow me to show you," Fiona replied, drawing. "I play 'Pot of Greed', and draw two cards." Fiona picked up her cards, and her eyes went wide slightly. _"At last. When this card is activated, Zane's strategy shall finally be cracked!"_ she thought. "I summon 'Flintlock' (1500, 800)." A white machine with a long, slender body, three wings and a large mouth appeared. "Next the Spell card 'Flint'," Fiona continued. A grey piece of metal with three chains flew through the air. The metal hit Hell Kaiser Dragon on the head with a spark, the loose chains wrapping around its jaws as it roared in protest.

"What have you done?" Zane demanded.

"The monster equipped with Flint cannot attack, and also loses 300 points," Fiona explained. "But not to worry. I also have the Spell card 'Flint Attack'. Now the Flint piece on your monster _forces _it to attack itself." Hell Kaiser Dragon fired its flames down, and exploded as the fire erupted around it. "Now that the monster it was equipped with Flint is gone, Flint seeks a new target." The metal whirled out from the fire and slammed into Flintlock's mouth.

"Yeah, and now you can't attack either," Zane sneered.

"You are incorrect, Mr. Truesdale. You see, Flintlock bonds with Flint, making it immune to Flint's effects," Fiona replied. "Now, Flintlock, attack Zane directly!" Flintlock's wings moved as a rocket lit behind it, launching it into Zane's stomach. Zane doubled over and stumbled back as Flintlock flew back to Fiona.

-Zane LP: 1700, Fiona LP: 4000-

"I draw, and summon 'Cyberdark Phoenix' (1600, 1200)." The new monster was made of black metal with four flaming red wings. "Dark Phoenix, attack!" Zane snapped. The Phoenix flew and tackled Flintlock.

"Incorrect, Flintlock is immune to damage as long as it has Flint attached," Fiona countered. Flintlock went crashing across the arena, but righted itself a moment afterwards.

-Zane LP: 1700, Fiona LP: 3900-

"My turn. I use Flintlock's effect and launch its Flint at another card," she said. "Dark Phoenix has only 1300 points now. Flintlock, take wing!" Fiona commanded. Flintlock's rocket launched into the metal bird, who caught fire and burned to a cinder. "Now Flint returns to my Flintlock, making him immune to battle again!"

-Zane LP: 1500, Fiona LP 3900-

"I have to confess, I haven't faced a challenge like this in a long time," Zane admitted. "It seems I've finally found a worthy opponent."

"I am afraid that I am more than worthy, Mr. Truesdale. You see, with proper analysis and preparation, any duelist can defeat any other, which is why I shall defeat you," Fiona explained. "You currently have a thirty-seven percent chance of victory, not unfavourable, but not in your favor, either. That will change. Through study of your duels, I determined you have three main themes. Your Cyberdark cards, which I nullified through my Metalsilver Armor. Second, your Dragons, which are strong but lack adequate protection. But now it is time to deal with the third and most dangerous aspect of your deck – your Fusions."

"Do you think you can stop me from fusing?" Zane laughed. "I have too many ways to stop them all!"

"Agreed, but I shall not stop you from fusing. Rather than stop the summon, I shall cut off your strategy at the source. Your victory percentage of thirty-seven shall soon take a rather steep plunge. It is what I do, what my cards do, and in fact, it is what my next card is named! I reveal the culmination of your defeat, Mr. Truesdale!" Fiona cried. "Activate Trap, 'Success Probability 0 Percent'!" Zane gasped. "This card randomly destroys two Fusion cards," Fiona explained. A face down card appeared in the middle of the field.

"What shall be first?" Fiona asked. The card flipped over, and Zane shrugged. "Cyber Twin Dragon is destroyed. What shall be next?" the card flipped over again. Zane's eyes went wide.

"NO!"

"Zane!" Alexis cried. Around the arena, the crowd jumped to their feet as Fiona smiled.

"Cyberdark Dragon, begone!" she commanded. The card exploded, and Zane watched the holographic fragments scattered. "You have lost your best card! Your victory chance is down to merely thirteen percent, hardly goods odds! And as your dragon can only be summoned by a Fusion, you can no longer summon it in any way this duel!" Zane stepped back and gritted his teeth as Fiona crossed her arms.

"Your have lost your best cards, and more than half your Life Points, while I have nearly all of mine and a monster that cannot be destroyed! It as I said, Mr. Truesdale!" Fiona broke out into a grin.

"I shall win!"

**Hell Kaiser Dragon is a real card in an up-coming set. It is classified as a "Dual" monster. Upon first being summoned it has no effect, but a "second" summoning gives it the power to attack twice in a turn. It is just one of many "Dual" monsters in the set. Plus, if you've watched the Japanese GX you know the card is just perfect for Ryo. For more info, Google "Tactical Evolution", and click the first link. Flintlock and Flint Attack are also of this set.**

**Cyber Summon**

**Trap**

**Activate when your opponent attacks you directly. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyber" or "Cyberdark" Machine-type monster from your deck, and make it the target of that attack.**

**Download**

**Trap**

**Select 1 Machine-type monster that was destroyed this turn and increase your Life Points by an amount equal to that monster's ATK and remove it from play.**

**Cyberdark Phoenix**

**4 Star DARK Machine**

**ATK: 1600**

**DEF: 1200**

**Your Dark-Attribute Machine cards are not destroyed by the effects of your opponent's Spell and Trap cards.**


	11. Fall Back

The Darkness of Destiny

** Aye yai yai, a month sure flies when you're taking exams, scanning your PC for viruses and staying up till 3am in anticipation of summer…ahem. Sorry for the wait!**

Chapter 11

Fall Back

-Zane LP; 1500, Fiona LP: 3900-

_"How could I have let this happen?" _Zane thought, staring at his Duel Disk. _"I just lost one of my best cards! How am I supposed to win without my key monster?" _

"This is unprecedented! I haven't seen Zane this off his game in years!" the announcer cried.

"Looks like Zane's getting schooled by a kid," someone in the stands laughed. A few seats in front of him, Alexis narrowed her eyes.

"It's more than that…" she whispered to herself. "Zane was also so confident, so sure…I've never seen him like this."

"I can't destroy that Flintlock while it's equipped with Flint, and I have nothing in my hand to destroy either of them with an effect," Zane muttered, looking at his cards. "And even if I summon something that can overpower her card and do damage, she'll just use Flintlock's effect to transfer the Flint to my card…" A bead of sweat ran down Zane's forehead. "There has to be a way out of this."

"Mr. Truesdale, it's your turn," Fiona called. Zane narrowed his eyes and looked at his hand.

_"I only have one card in my deck that can get me out of this mess," _he thought, closing his eyes and placing a hand on his deck. "This is it!" he roared, flinging his draw into the air. He opened his eyes and smirked. Fiona watched as Zane slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. The ground shook and burst as a long, silver machine rose out of the crater.

"I summon 'Cyber Dragon' (2100, 1600)!" Zane crowed. The crowd gasped, and Fiona took a step back.

_"I haven't seen that card in a long time. It seems Zane is going old school!"_ the announcer said. Sartorius looked up and gasped, staring at the TV.

"Could it be…" he whispered, leaning forward.

"Now, Cyber Dragon, attack Flintlock! Strident Blast!" Zane shouted. The giant silver dragon roared and fired a burst of yellow energy. Fiona raised a hand to shield her eyes as the attack impacted Flintlock, create a blast of dust. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

-Zane LP: 1500, Fiona LP: 3300-

"It's…my turn," Fiona coughed, drawing. "First, I'll use Flintlock's effect. Launch Flint!" the explosive chains whirled through the air and wrapped around Cyber Dragon's head. "Then I'll sacrifice Flintlock to summon 'Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon (2400, 1000)!" A large, metal dragon coated in an electrical field appeared with a clank. "Voltech Dragon, attack!" Fiona called. The supercharged machine roared and stomped across the field.

"Reveal Trap!" Zane called. A shining silver coat and a pink ring of metal appeared around Cyber Dragon's neck and body. "My 'Attack Reflector Unit' turns my Cyber Dragon in 'Cyber Barrier Dragon' (800, 2800)!" Zane shouted. The new dragon lashed out a tail and slammed into the electro-dragon, knocking it back to Fiona's side.

"Remarkable, could this be the start of a comeback for Zane?" The announcer asked. Zane drew with a smirk.

"I play 'Pot of Greed'. Now I can draw two more cards. Then I play 'Unit Reverse'!" Cyber Barrier Dragon shimmered and vanished in a sparkle of light. "This card changes my Cyber Barrier Dragon back into a normal Cyber Dragon. Next I summon 'Proto-Cyber Dragon' (1100, 600)!" a grey snake-like beast with loose circuits appeared. Zane looked behind the two monsters behind him and frowned. _"Are they…glowing?"_ he thought.

"Neither Dragon can stop my Electro Dragon!" Fiona protested.

"I think 'Photon Generator Unit' will prove otherwise!" Zane replied. "I'll use it to merge my two Cyber Dragons. Now I can summon 'Cyber Laser Dragon' (2400, 1800)!" Fiona grimaced as a sleek, blue-tinted version of Cyber Dragon appeared in a flash of light. "My laser dragon has an effect too. If there's a monster on the field with attack or defense points equal or higher than my dragon's attack points, it can destroy it! Show her, Laser Dragon!" Cyber Laser Dragon's tail snapped open into a long laser, and fired a ray of thin blue light. Voltech Dragon roared as the beam sliced it in two, sparks flying as the two halves collapsed. Fiona gasped.

"Cyber Laser Dragon, attack! Blue Lightning Blast!" Zane roared. Laser Dragon's tail swiveled and fired a second beam. Fiona cringed and fell to her knees as the blue energy ray shot through her chest.

-Zane LP: 1500, Fiona LP: 900-

"Remarkable, Zane has turned this duel around! Fiona has a challenge on her hands!" the announcer said. Fiona narrowed her eyes and drew.

_"I didn't expect him to change his strategy so quickly. With his Cyberdark Dragons gone, he reverted to his original style…"_

"I place one card face down, and set a monster in defence mode," she said, playing the cards. Zane nodded.

"Fine, set them up, and I'll knock them down! Cyber Laser Dragon, attack!" The blue laser fired again.

"Reveal 'Cyber Jar'!" Fiona cried. A small, silver pod with a giant blue eye appeared in a sparkle of light. The eye flashed and exploded in a burst of flame. "All monsters on the field are destroyed, and we draw five cards. Then we summon any level four or lowers monsters we drew," Fiona explained. Zane picked up his cards and looked them over.

"I summon 'Cyberdark Lion' (1000, 300) in defence mode and 'Infernal Dragon' (2000, 0000), in attack mode," he said. A black machine with a mane of yellow spikes appeared, lightning shooting between the sparks. Beside it appeared a large, black dragon with wide wings.

"I play 'Cybernetic Archfiend' (1000, 2000) in defence mode, and 'Kozaky' (400, 400) and 'Giant Kozaky' (2500, 2450) in attack mode," Fiona countered. A metal monster with grey and blue limbs and skeletal wings appeared, wings closed over its torso. Beside it came a purple man in a white lab coat and floating white mass of claws and pincers, a giant purple face at the helm.

"Bad move! Infernal Dragon, attack Kozaky and end this!" Zane said. Infernal Dragon roared and launched a fireball.

"Reveal Trap 'Shift'!" Fiona cried. A glowing silver aura appeared over Giant Kozaky. "This trap redirects your attack to my Giant Kozaky!" Zane gasped as the fireball changed course and hit the giant robot. Giant Kozaky beeped as a hatch opened on its chest to reveal a large machine gun. The gun sprayed the arena with bullets, holes appearing in Infernal Dragon's wings. The dragon groaned and fell forward.

-Zane LP: 1000, Fiona LP: 900-

"Amazing! After several fierce rounds, both of them are nearly neck and neck! I've haven't seen Zane trade blows like this in months!" the announcer cried. Zane looked at his hand

_"Two more Cyber Dragons…if I summon one of them, I can defeat her next turn. But first I have to survive her monsters." _Zane looked at the other cards in his hand and nodded. "I place a card face-down and end my turn," he said.

"Very well. My move," Fiona countered, drawing. "I play 'Draw Tribute'. By sending a monster on the field to the Graveyard, I can draw two cards. So I'll sacrifice my Cyber Archfiend!" the metal skeleton caught fire and vanished as Fiona drew. "Perfect. Now Kozaky, attack Cyberdark Lion!" the scientist jumped up and screeched, sending a blue wave of sound across the field. With a creak, the dark machine collapsed. "Now Giant Kozaky! Attack Zane directly!" the hatch of the machine opened and fired the bullet barrage.

"I reveal my Trap card! 'Fusion Guard'!" Zane cried, fling his hand to the side as the card flipped up. "By sending a Fusion card from my deck to the Graveyard, my damage is cancelled!" Zane looked at his cards and thought. "I discard 'Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon'!" the two-headed beast appeared and took the attack with a roar, vanishing in a silver sparkle.

"It matters not. This duel is won, Mr. Truesdale. I activate the Spell card 'Goblin Tax Collector!" A fat goblin with a large sack appeared with a grin on its face. "This card activates when we have the same number of cards in our hands. Now they all get sent to the Graveyard!" Fiona explained. Zane gasped. "Now you and I both lose everything. The difference is I have a monster or two left. Seeing as how there's nothing left to do with no cards in hand, I'll end my turn now," she finished.

"This is it! With no cards left, Zane as truly at the end of his rope! Pay attention folks, we may be seeing his first loss in years!" the announcer cried. Zane looked down at his deck.

"I have to draw something to protect myself," he whispered. He narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his deck.

"It comes to this, Mr. Truesdale. Draw your final card and let us see who claims this victory!" Fiona called. Zane nodded and slipped the card into his hand. He flipped it over and smiled.

"It seems the victor is me," he chuckled. "Fiona, you can analyze and calculate all you want. I have all I need right here, right now! Witness the power of rage!" Zane's eyes flashed, and Alexis gasped up in the stands as sparks flew from the card in his hand "I activate the Spell card 'Overload Fusion'!" Zane held the glowing card overhead as Fiona's eyes went wide.

"Now I can call on any Dark-attribute Machine card from my Fusion deck, as long as I remove the fusion material monsters for it from play in my Graveyard and field! So, Fiona, how many of my Machines have you destroyed in this duel? Let's count!" Zane crossed his arms as the holograms of the cards in his Graveyard appeared in the air behind him.

"I remove from play the following! Cyberdark Phoenix, Cyber Phoenix, Cyberdark Keel, Cyberdark Lion, Cyber Barrier Dragon, Cyber Laser Dragon, Proto-Cyber Dragon, and three copies of my Cyber Dragon!" He roared. A pillar of light burst from the ground behind him, casting a glow over the arena. A dark shadow rose from the pillar, a deep growl coming from the form. Fiona's eyes went wide as the light dispersed. Floating behind Zane was a long, black dragon with six long, sleek heads splitting off from its body.

"Behold, 'Chimeratech Overdragon' (8000, 8000)!" Zane laughed, his eyes flashing. Fiona's jaw dropped.

"That…that's impossible!" she protested. "I calculated my victory! There was less than a three percent chance of you drawing that card!" Zane sneered.

"Calculate this! Chimeratech Overdragon, attack! Strident Cannon Burst!" he ordered. The six heads of the beast rose and opened their metal jaws. With a quick flash, six beams of yellow light shot across the field, blending into one and slamming into Fiona's field. Fiona's hair was blown back as the beam sliced through her monsters and exploded at her feet, sending her flying back into the wall of the arena.

-Zane LP: 1000, Fiona LP: 0000-

"What a remarkable finish! Against all odds, Zane Truesdale claims victory once again!" the announcer cried. Zane narrowed his eyes and turned to leave.

_"These duelists are getting smarter," _he thought to himself, entering the hall to the locker rooms. _"If I had made even one mistake, Fiona may have beaten me. I can't let that happen again. I don't care who I duel next, I'll crush them."_ Zane smirked to himself and looked down at the Duel Disk on his arm. _"And once I beat Aster, I'll find a way to get this damn disk off of me," _he added with an audible growl.

"Zane!" Zane stopped and turned to stare at the young woman jogging down the hall.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped. Alexis stopped and glared.

"Hey, no need to get the attitude with me!" she shot back. Zane inwardly flinched. Being conned into becoming Shroud's pet duelist wasn't her fault. Or was it? Zane would have to think about it later.

"Sorry," he muttered. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory," Alexis explained. "I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but I'm glad your career is still going strong." Zane snorted.

"Yeah, so why are you happy for me? One more victory and I face your pal Aster. If anything I'd think you'd be all for my losing. After all, you know what he did to me. Do you really think I'm going to go easy on him when I get a second chance to crush him?" he asked. Alexis blinked.

"I…hadn't thought about that," she admitted. It was true, she was glad Zane was doing well for himself. On the other hand, he probably was going to win the tournament and face Aster. Zane was her old friend, but Aster had helped her kick-start her career and his manager was giving her a home. Was it really right to be silently cheering for his biggest rival?

"Whatever. I don't need you to cheer for me anyway. Like you said, I'm doing just fine. I don't need a peanut gallery cheering for me to win," Zane said, bringing her from her thoughts. Alexis watched him turn and continue down the hall.

"I know you don't need help from anyone, Zane, I've always known that," she called. Zane stopped but kept facing forward as she continued. "But the fact is, even when you can take care of yourself….it's nice to not have to once in a while," she whispered. Zane's scowl dissolved, and he turned, taking a breath.

"Alexis…" he murmured, staring at her. Alexis looked up.

"Mr. Truesdale!" Zane's scowl returned in full force as Shroud put a hand on his shoulder. "We've got business to attend to," he snapped, walking away. Zane watch him go with a glare.

"Bye," he tossed back, following. Alexis' shoulders slumped.

* * *

Aster pulled his jacket on and stepped down the steps of the manor, opening the door of his limo and climbing in. He slammed the door and pushed the button for the driver's speaker.

"Kaiba Dome," he said. The speaker crackled.

"Right away, Mr. Phoenix," the driver chuckled. Aster frowned. That didn't sound like his driver…

The pro's head hit the bat of his seat as the vehicle roared to life, tearing down the driveway and bashing through the gates. Aster was slammed into the window as the limo made a sharp right, _away_ from Domino, and skidded off.

"What are you doing, what's going on?" Aster demanded, fumbling with the button for the speaker. There was no answer. Aster growled and turned, pulling up and the seat on the left to reveal a hidden compartment. He pulled on his Duel Disk and slammed it into the tinted window separating the driver's seat from the passenger section. Nothing. He tried again. The glass cracked. Aster gritted his teeth and slammed the machine into the glass once more. It shattered.

"Alright buddy, game over!" he cried, leaning his head through. Aster's eyes went wide. Sitting in the driver's seat as a small, black box with a small antennae coming from the side, and two black bars emerging from the top. Either bar was duct taped to the steering wheel, driving the car, with a third bar angled from the bottom and squeezing down the gas pedal. A video camera was taped to the dashboard looking out on the road.

Aster squeezed through the broken window and brought the Duel Disk on the black box, smashing it, before ripping the video camera off the dashboard and tossing out the window. He sat down in the driver's seat and looked out the window. Familiar rows of stone were racing past the car. A graveyard. Aster slammed on the brakes.

"Of course," he growled, noting the car didn't even slow down the slightest bit. He looked down at the sideview mirror to see if there was anything behind him. Nothing. Aster looked back up and gasped. A large mausoleum loomed from the dark of the night. Aster pushed open the driver's door and dove to the ground as the limo crashed. The front of it crumbled, flames sprouting from the bent hood. Aster stood and stumbled away, the car exploding a few minutes later behind him. He stopped and turned to look at the wreck.

"Right on time, Mr. Phoenix." Aster spun around. A tall, pale man stepped from the shadows. He wore a long, black coat with a high collar, and a black hat. Long, bony fingers clutched a dark brown cane with a brass knob at the top. A white fog spewed from the graveyard behind him.

"You bastard! Who are you?" Aster roared. The man smiled.

"The name is Morte, Terminus Morte. And you're right on schedule, Mr. Phoenix. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here tonight to mourn the passing of the Professional League Champion," he chuckled. "Look to your left, Mr. Phoenix," Morte called. Aster turned. A freshly dug grave lay there, a pile of dirt with a shovel behind it. A series of candles below the tombstone illuminated the name. Aster Phoenix.

"Oh please, give me a break," Aster snorted. "This isn't some kid's cartoon show, you think a tombstone with my name on it is gonna scare me?" Morte just smiled. "Alright, you kidnapped me, what do you want?"

"What kind of question is that? A duel, Mr. Phoenix. I'll defeat you and lay your battered, tortured soul to rest."

"You want a piece of me, fine. Bring it on!" Aster snapped, turning on his Disk. Morte's dark smile grew wider. "Hey, where's your disk?" Aster asked. Morte chuckled.

"When you control the powers of the underworld like I do, you don't need a Duel Disk anymore," he laughed. "It's time to duel, Mr. Phoenix, and unlike your namesake, when death comes for you, you won't be coming back!"

**Unit Reverse **

**Spell**

**Offer 1 "Cyber Barrier Dragon" or "Cyber Laser Dragon" as Tribute. Special Summon 1 "Cyber Dragon" from your Graveyard.**

**Cyberdark Lion**

**3 Star DARK Machine**

**ATK: 1000**

**DEF: 300**

**Offer this card as Tribute to inflict this card's ATK as damage to both players Life Points**

**Draw Tribute**

**Spell**

**Offer 1 Monster card as Tribute. Draw 2 cards. **

**Goblin Tax Collector**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Activate only when all players have the same number of cards in their hand (not counting this card). Both players look at each other's hands. You may then send all cards in both players' hands to the Graveyard.**


	12. Soul Survivor

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 12

Soul Survivor

"I'll start off," Aster said, drawing. "I play the Spell card 'Destiny Draw'. Now by sending a Destiny Hero from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw twice. Then I'll activate the effect of the monster in my Graveyard. I'll remove 'Destiny Hero – Malicious' (800, 800) from play to summon another one." There was a white flash as the winged Hero appeared on Aster's field. "Next I'll sacrifice him to summon 'Destiny Hero – Double Dude' (1000, 1000)." A tall, slender man in a suit with a cane appeared on Aster's field. Aster smiled. _"Now when my Double Dude is destroyed, on my next turn I can summon my third Malicious, and use my Double Dude Tokens and my Malicious as Tributes. It's all in place."_

"It's your turn," Aster called. Morte chuckled and bowed his head. "Well, come on!" Aster protested. The ground shook as Morte lifted his head. He raised his cane up and slammed it back into the ground. The dirt erupted as a large form burst up. It was a transparent skeleton in a black cloak with a long chain. A heavy, iron mace was attached to the end of it.

"What?" Aster yelled, stepping back. The cloaked skeleton threw back its head and cackled.

"What's wrong, Mr. Phoenix, does my 'Soul Hunter' (1500, 1000) frighten you?" Morte laughed. Aster scowled.

"No!" he lied. _"How did he summon a monster without a Duel Disk?"_

"He will," Morte replied, flinging his cane out over the field. "Spell card activate!" The card rose out of the mist before him. "It's called 'Soul Extraction'. Now I can remove a card in my hand from play, and regain a thousand points," Morte explained. "But don't worry just yet, worry about my second Spell! Go, 'Soul Calling'! Now I can select any one of my monsters that was removed from play this turn, and call it back for one turn only. And I choose 'Soul Feeder' (500, 500)!" Another monster appeared. This one was a rotting corpse with drops of some white substance leaking out of its wounds.

"Big deal. Go ahead and attack me!" Aster cried. Morte shook his head.

"The reaper does not strike down the living, he lets time do his work for him and preys on their weakened spirits once they die. Like the great one, I let my enemies get weak before I strike. Observe," he replied. Soul Hunter growled and held up its mace. A glowing shard of blue crystal emerged from the iron ball. "Whenever a monster is Special Summoned while it is removed from play, Soul Hunter powers up and acquires something known as a 'soul' counter. But wait, there's more. Soul Feeder, show Mr. Phoenix how you got your name!" Soul Hunter's eyes gleamed, and with a roar, the mace swung and slammed into Soul Feeder. The monster vanished in a sparkle of blue dust, two more crystals shards appearing from the cloud and attaching to Soul Hunter's mace.

"And now it's time for Soul Hunter to use his special power!" Morte laughed. Soul Hunter lifted a hand and swung the mace overhead. "You see, by removing Soul Feeder from play, I can place two more soul counters on my monster. And now that Soul Hunter has been fully charged, he can remove from play any monster on the field that's face-up!"

"What?" Aster shrieked.

"Soul Hunter, ply your trade!" Morte commanded. The mace glowed and turned transparent blue, hurtling through the air. With a groan, Double Dude collapsed in a head as the spectral mace passed through him. A blue version of the monster appeared, transforming into a beast and raising an arm in defense as the mace swung into it. Double Dude and its soul counterpart vanished in a flash of blue dust.

"And since that was just his effect, Soul Hunter still has his attack! Here, let me show you!" Aster cried out and fell to his knees as the mace slammed into his chest.

-Aster LP: 2500, Morte LP: 5000-

- - - - - - - - - -

Alexis pulled a ten from her purse and handed it to the cashier. The teen had been flirting with her ever since she had come it the store. It wasn't that he wasn't good looking, it was just…well, actually, it was that. Plus he was creeping her out.

"You sure you wanna pay? Cute lil' thing like you?" he asked, winking. Alexis groaned. On the other hand, at least he never had to deal with this. Being good looking had its disadvantages.

"I'm sure, thanks," she muttered, swiping the bag from the counter and leaving. The cashier called out for her change, but Alexis wasn't going back there again. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed. The other line rang twice before it picked up.

_"Yes?" _Sartorius answered.

"Just calling to let you two know I'm on my way. I'm going to catch a cab," Alexis replied, looking around for an empty bit of curb to hail one. It was weird, it had been a week, nearly two, but the Phoenix property was already starting to feel like home. She had to keep reminding herself it was only until Sartorius' preliminary payment cleared the banks, which he assured her would be in a few days. She already had plans to go apartment hunting the next day.

_"A cab? Aster's not giving you a ride?" _Sartorius replied. Alexis frowned and pulled her blue jacket tighter as a breeze picked up.

"No. Why, is he coming?" she asked, pulling her hair back from the wind.

_"He left nearly fifteen minutes ago," _Sartorius explained. Alexis frowned. That was easily enough time to get to the Kaiba Dome, assuming Aster even knew where she was, which it sounded like he did.

"I haven't seen him all night. Where is he?" she murmured.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"How is he doing this?" _Aster through, breathing heavily. The thick white fog kept rolling in, and Morte still had absolutely no evidence of a Duel Disk. _"Something's up with this guy, he's gotta be using some kinda magic like Sartorius used to. Man, how come I always have to fight these guys, you never hear about Yugi or Kaiba fighting power-hungry wackos."_

"Get up, Mr. Phoenix, my Soul Hunter is hungry," Morte taunted. Aster growled and stood up.

"Chew on this!" he snapped, drawing. "I remove from play the Malicious Hero in my Graveyard to summon a third one. And like the second, I'll sacrifice it to summon 'Destiny Hero – Dasher' (2100, 1000)." A sleek black humanoid with wheels in its legs jumped onto the field from behind Aster.

"Dasher, take out Soul Hunter!" Aster cried, pointing at the monster. Dasher's wheels spun, and with a screech it zoomed across the field. A left hook caught Soul Hunter in the jaw, the skeleton collapsing into a pile of bones as the cape caught on fire. "And after Dasher attacks, he switches to defense mode. So I'll a set card and call it a turn," Aster finished. Morte scowled as he held out his cane.

"I summon 'Soul Capturer' (1400, 1700), and activate the Spell card 'Soul Conduit'!" A skeleton with a glowing white net and a hook on a chain appear, swinging the chain overhead. "Soul Capturer has a special power as well. By removing a Soul Counter from him when he attacks a monster, any excess damage bleeds over to you!" The skeleton lashed out the hook. The chain wrapped around Dasher's neck and squeezed until it shattered. Aster cringed as jolts of pain shot through his legs.

-Aster LP: 2100, Morte LP: 5000-

"How are you doing this, Morte!?" Aster demanded. Morte laughed and held up his cane.

"The powers of darkness are in the palm of my hand, Mr. Phoenix! You are no match for the underworld!" he replied.

"Yeesh, get a grip," Aster growled, drawing. "I'll call out 'Destiny Hero Fear Monger' (1000, 1000). And then I'll add in a Spell card of mine called 'D-Axe'." Fear Monger glowed as a large, black axe appeared in his hand. "This card gives my Fear Monger a 1000 point bonus! Fear Monger, take out Soul Capturer!" The Hero leapt and twirled the axe overhead, roaring as it slammed it into the skeleton. Morte's cloak blew past him as he raised his cane into the air.

"Not good enough! I call 'Soul Crusher' (2100, 0000)!" The newest skeleton towered over the field. Giant rings of steel spikes ran over its shoulders, wrists and ankles. Its empty eye sockets glowed bright red. "Soul Crusher, attack!" Morte cried. The skeleton raised a giant fist and slammed it into the ground. The shockwave hit under Fear Monger, covering the humanoid in a shower of rock and dirt.

-Aster LP: 2000, Morte LP: 5000-

_"This doesn't make any sense. Either I'm losing my mind, or he's for real! But there's no way that can be right, but there's no way this is possible either!"_

"Are you finally beginning to grasp the futility of the situation?" Morte chuckled. "I place a card face down and end my turn." Morte's cane slammed down into the dirt as the hologram flashed in front of it.

"This isn't possible…" Aster whispered, looking at his cards. "I'll…draw," he said at last, doing so. "I'll use the Spell card 'Graceful Charity', and draw three more cards. Then I'll send two to the Graveyard." Aster slipped his cards away with a frown.

"Draw all the cards you like. You have nothing in your deck that can match my might! I manipulate souls, the very essences of creation itself!" Morte called.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Aster growled. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn,"

"Very well. Since he attacked last turn, Soul Crusher is forbidden to attack this turn. But no matter, I have another plan in mind. I activate my Trap card 'Soul Crystal'." A glowing formation of blue crystal rose from the ground behind Morte. "And now, the last Spell card you'll ever see, Mr. Phoenix! Go, 'Soul Collecting'!" Morte held out his cane as the crystals glowed. "This card lets me move all Soul Counters on the field onto Soul Crusher, setting the stage for your ultimate demise!" Morte's lips pulled back in a rotting grin as he held up his cane.

"I sacrifice Soul Crusher in order to summon the all powerful 'Soul Reaper' (2500, 2000)!" Morte laughed. The skeleton vanished as wisps of blue flame sprang up beneath it. The flames stretched higher and wrapped around each other. A cloak of bright blue fight formed and wrapped around a large skeleton, a dark hood sliding over its skull. A long, steel rod appeared in the monster's hand, the tip exploding as a wicked blade of glowing green energy burst out. The hooded skeleton cackled as it rose into the air.

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Phoenix!" Morte sneered. "I've already reaped the souls of your cards, and now my Soul Reaper hungers for you!"

Soul Hunter 

**4 Star DARK Zombie**

**ATK: 1500**

**DEF: 1000**

**When a monster is Special Summoned, place a Soul Counter on this card. Remove 3 Soul Counters from this card to remove a face-up monster from play.**

**Soul Calling**

**Spell**

**Special Summon one of your monsters that has been removed from play. The summoned monster cannot attack or be offered as Tribute and is destroyed during the End Phase.**

**Soul Feeder**

**2 Star DARK Zombie**

**ATK: 500**

**DEF: 500**

**Remove this face-up card from play to place 2 Soul Counters on a monster.**

**Soul Extraction**

**Spell**

**Remove 1 card in your hand from play. Increase your Life Points by 1000.**

**Soul Conduit**

**Spell**

**Place 2 Soul Counters on a monster.**

**Soul Capturer**

**4 Star DARK Zombie**

**ATK: 1400**

**DEF: 1700**

**When a monster is Special Summoned, place a Soul Counter on this card. When this card attacks a defense position monster with an ATK that is higher than the target monster's DEF, remove a Soul Counter from this card to inflict the difference as Effect Damage to your opponent's Life Points.**

**Soul Crusher**

**4 Star DARK Zombie**

**ATK: 2100**

**DEF: 0000**

**This card cannot attack if it attacked last turn. When a monster is Special Summoned, place a Soul Counter on this card. Remove 3 Soul Counters from this card to destroy 1 monster on the field. You cannot attack the turn you use this effect.**

**Soul Crystal**

**Continuous Trap**

**Place 3 Soul Counters on this card. Once per turn, move a Soul Counter from this card to another monster that can hold Soul Counters.**

**Soul Collecting**

**Spell**

**Select 1 monster that can hold Soul Counters, and move all Soul Counters on the field to that monster.**


	13. Conspiracy Theory

The Darkness of Destiny

**Very sorry for the late update, I had writer's block, but I'm back now!**

Chapter 13

Conspiracy Theory

"Soul Reaper, strike him down with Dark Scythe!" Morte cried. The Reaper roared and flew across the field, blade held high.

"I activate the Trap card 'D-Fortune'. Now by removing a Destiny Hero in my Grave from the game, your Reaper gets cut down to size," Aster countered. The Reaper stopped in mid air as a barrier of dark energy appeared around Aster.

"A temporary setback, you have nothing to counter the raw darkness of the Soul Reaper," Morte taunted. Aster scowled and drew.

"I play the Spell card 'Pot of Greed', and draw two cards. Then I activate 'D-Soul'. Now for every Destiny Hero I remove from play, I can summon a DarkSoul token," he said. His Duel Disk lit up as Dasher and Malicious floated out, and Aster pocketed them. "DarkSoul Tokens, rise!" he commanded. Thin, wispy humanoids (0000,000) rose up in front of him from the mist. "DarkSoul Tokens can't attack or be offered as Tributes for a summon. But I have something else in mind," Aster explained.

"Oh?" Morte muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's another Spell card, called 'D-Mind', and it lets me call any Destiny Hero that's level 3 or less. And I choose 'Destiny Hero – Doom Lord' (600, 800)," Morte gasped as the caped hero appeared out of the mist.

"No!"

"You may control the underworld, Morte. But I control time! Doom Lord, show him what I mean!" Aster cried. Doom Lord raised his claws and fired a beam of black energy. Morte looked on and screamed as Soul Reaper vanished in a sparkle of light.

"My Reaper…"

"Just got reaped," Aster finished. "Don't worry, he'll back in two turns. But I'll beat you long before then. I'll throw down a face down and let you have a turn,"

"You little wretch, show respect to the powers of darkness!" Morte commanded.

"Yeah right. You aren't so confident now that I'm winning it seems," Aster replied.

"I will teach you respect!" Morte snarled. "I summon 'Soul Bomber' (1600, 1000). Bomber, destroy him!" The newest monster, a zombie with unlit bombs ringed around its forearms, leapt up and threw one at Aster.

"Oh come _on_, you know that's not going to happen! Activate 'D-Shield'!" A large rock rose up in front of Doom Lord, and the bomb bounced off and exploded. "This Trap protects my Destiny Hero from being destroyed in battle!" Morte growled.

"My move again. And it's time to show you real darkness! My DarkSouls can't be offered for a Tribute as a Tribute Summon, there's no rule against Special Summons! I'll sacrifice my Doom Lord and my tokens to summon 'Destiny Hero Dogma' (3400, 2400)!" The gigantic winged hero appeared in a flurry of wind. "Dogma, blast him!" Aster yelled. The hero held out a hand and fired a blast of wind. Morte screamed as the blast blew away Soul Bomber…

and most of the mist around the graveyard.

"AH!" Morte cried, looking around in horror. Aster smirked and looked around. Holographic projectors were set up behind two tombstones, hidden by the mist. Said mist was spewing back to the field thanks to a smoke machine behind Morte.

"Figures, you're just some two-bit hack," Aster snorted.

"Silence!" Morte snapped.

"Yeah right. So where's your Duel Disk, you gonna duel properly from now on?"

"You little…" Morte growled, gasping as Dogma floated down in front of him.

"Oh, did I forget to mention Dogma's ability?" Aster asked coyly. "During your Standby Phase, you lose half your Life Points!" Morte looked down and screamed as a wave of purple energy exploded from the ground. His cane flew into the air and landed in the grass in front of Aster. He looked down and raised a foot, bringing it down the head. The hidden circuitry inside the cane sparked as it shattered. Aster picked up the pieces and frowned. A small, blinking red light was on the tip of the cane, and several small buttons were aligned on the length.

"So that's how you were doing it," he muttered, tossing the broken device away. "Enough tricks, get your Duel Disk and actually play the game now!" Morte scowled and reached behind a tombstone, pulling out a Duel Disk. A small robot was taped to the disk. Morte ripped off his earpiece and chucked it and the robot behind him, slipping his Duel Disk on.

"Fine! If you will not respect me as the ruler of darkness, then you will fear me as the ruler of the duel!" he roared.

-Aster LP: 2000, Morte LP: 1600-

"It has been two turns, so my Soul Reaper returns to me!" a black vortex opened up in front of him, and the cloaked skeleton floated out.

"Big deal, it can't hurt Dogma," Aster said.

"We shall see. I place a card face-down and end my turn," Morte said.

"Back to me," Aster smirked, drawing. "Dogma, wipe out that Soul Reaper!" Dogma nodded and leapt into the air, pointing the blade at the end of its arm at Morte's monster. Swirls of energy began to gather on its tip.

"Reveal Trap card 'Negate Attack'!" Morte said, clenching a fist. "This card negates your blow and ends your turn."

"Well that's annoying," Aster muttered, lowing his Duel Disk. "I'll place a card down and call it a turn."

"I draw," Morte said, doing so. "I play the Spell card 'Magical Stone Excavation'. I send two cards to the Graveyard and return one Spell card in the Graveyard to my hand." Morte slipped 'Pyramid Turtle' and 'Soul Demolition' away. "I choose to retrieve Soul Conduit, which I'll play right away to add two Soul Counters to Soul Reaper. And now, he can use his power!" Soul Reaper raised it scythe, glowing green with spectral energy. "Soul Reaper can remove your card from play!" Morte cried. The Reaper slashed and sent a beam of green energy across the field. Dogma glowed blue before melting into a puddle. "And with that, it's over," Morte chuckled.

"Nah, I don't think so," Aster smirked. "I reveal my Trap card 'The Paths of Destiny'!" A wooden sign appeared behind Aster as the mist reappeared on the ground, blowing across two dirt paths stretching into the cemetery behind him.

"What is that?" Morte asked.

"Hey, you've got one two," Aster said, pointing. Morte turned to see a similar sign and pair of paths behind him. "Here's how my trap works. We each choose a path. Down one path lies a 2000 point bonus, down the other lies a 2000 point blast." Morte gasped. "And seeing as how we both have less than 2000 points, this entire duel can be decided now," Aster said as Morte turned, his eyes wide. "See, if either of us picks the wrong path, we lose, but if we both pick the right path, my Life Points go up enough to survive Soul Reaper's assault. And just to make this more interesting, I'll you choose my path for me."

"You little wretch, how dare you play games with me!" Morte protested.

"Games? Nah, this is destiny. Down one of these paths lies mine, and down one of those ones like yours. So hey, choose. You gonna win this duel, or am I?" Aster taunted. Morte clenched a fist and spun around to stare at the paths. Both looked identical…

"Both of us will take the paths on our right!" Morte shouted, running down the right hologram and turning. Aster shrugged and stepped back down the path Morte had chosen, keeping his eyes on the duelist. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. "Well!?" Morte demanded. Aster looked down as a blue circle lit up under his feet, and a sparkle of blue light fell around him.

-Aster LP: 4000-

"Well, I'll survive Soul Reaper's attack, assuming you survive to make it," Aster said. Morte looked down at his feet and smiled as a blue circle appeared.

"It seems I will," he crowed. Suddenly, the blue turned red, and a blast of red light shot up from the ring. Morte screamed as the light washed over him, and Soul Reaper turned red and exploded.

"You can't hide from destiny," Aster said, pumping his fist. Morte groaned and collapsed in the mist as the holographic paths vanished.

-Morte LP: 0000-

"Bravo, bravo, Heir Phoenix," a voice trilled, as the sound of clapping filled the air. Aster turned as two men in dark black suits emerged, flanking a third man. The man had shockingly bright pink hair with a dark purple suit and a red ruffle on the collar and sleeves. A small pink rose blossom was pinned to the breast of his suit.

"You want a piece, pretty boy?" Aster challenged, holding out his Duel Disk. The man held out his hands and smiled.

"Nein nein, Herr. Phoenix. I don't vant to duel you. I'm quite ze fan, as a matter of fact. Ze name is Zigfriend von Schroeder, head of ze Schroeder Corporation," the man said. Aster raised an eyebrow.

"Schroeder? Isn't that some hack two-bit gaming company Kaiba Corp shut out years ago?" he asked.

"Your mouth is as sharp as your dueling skills, Herr Phoenix. But zere vil be time for ze explanations later. For now, I ask that you come with me. Ve have some things we need to discuss," Zigfried replied.

"I'm not going anywhere, sorry," Aster said, rolling up his sleeves.

"Ah vell, not everything comes easy," Zigfried sighed, waving a hand. The two bodyguards moved forward, and Aster spun, delivering a kick to the head of the left one. The right bodyguard lunged, and Aster ducked and rolled past him. The first guard swung a fist, and Aster blocked and delivered a punch to the guard's chest. The second guard hit Aster in the back, and he collapsed. An arm wrapped around his neck while a hand clamped over his mouth. Aster kicked backwards as the bodyguard lifted him into the air, his eyes drifting shut. His feet went limp, and the bodyguard left him fall to the ground. Zigfried looked and smiled at the duelist.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Phoenix," he whispered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cell phone.

* * *

"That's yours," Shroud said, eyeing Alicia's pocket as they walked down the stairs out of the Kaiba Dome. Alicia nodded and pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open.

"Yes?" she answered.

_"Alicia my dear, your plan verked perfectly," _Zigfried said on the other end of the line. Alicia smiled as Shroud held open the door outside for her.

"Ah, Zigfried darling. Of course it did. I assume you did not harm him, our champion needs to be healthy after all," she lectured.

_"Of course, we merely subdued him. He'll be awake and ready to listen in no time,"_Zigfried said. _"Be sure to inform Leon of our deal, I'm sure he'll want to know what's going on."_

"Of course. I must go darling, see you when I arrive," Alicia said, hanging up before her husband could say goodbye. She scowled as Shroud held open the door of her limo. Leon von Schroeder was an unfortunate thorn in her side. The whole reason she had married Zigfried all those years ago was for money and power, and when his deal with Pegasus fell flat because of Kaiba Corp's threat to cancel the planning of the leagues, she had to work on achieving such things herself. That was how she had ended up as one of the main financiers of the Underground League.

Of course, once Zigfried has stuck his nose in her little schemes, he had tried to shut her down right away, but Alicia convinced him otherwise with some choice words and a choice actions in the bedroom. Sadly, though it was _she_ who was renown throughout the Underground League, it was by Zigfried's money the league was run, and so she couldn't cut him out entirely. She convinced him to let her handle the business herself, and to keep Leon out of the whole thing. Leon, as far as Alicia was concerned, was a naïve twit that didn't know the real path to success. He was a duelist by nature, not the best in the Pro League but still quite well known, but he detested the Underground League. Would it not mean the destruction of her cash flow and possibly her marriage and all that went with it, Alicia would have loved to see the look on Leon's face when she told him his own sister-in-law pretty much _owned_ the league.

"Shroud, see that Zain is brought to my husband's warehouse by tomorrow evening. I think it's time our little puppet met the woman pulling his strings," Alicia said, climbing in the limo. Shroud smiled and tipped his hat.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, shutting the door.

* * *

_Ring…ring…ring…_

_"Yo, you've reached Aster Phoenix. If this is another endorsement deal, call my agent at 52-"_

Alexis slammed the payphone receiver down and opened her purse, pulling out her last quarter with a scowl. She slipped it into the coin slot and dialed again. This time, to her surprise, the phone picked up.

_"Hello?" _the voice said. Alexis frowned. She was fairly certainly Aster had never had a German accent.

"Aster?" she asked, just to make certain her benefactor wasn't playing a joke.

_"Does zis sound like Aster to you, girl?" _the voice replied.

"Where is he, who are you?" Alexis cried.

_"You call me, and you ask who I am? Zat is rather rude," _The voice muttered.

"Answer me, what have you done to him!" Alexis demanded.

_"I'm afraid Herr Phoenix can't speak right now. You may want to try calling back later. Auf_ _Wiedersehen." _The line went dead, and Alexis dropped the receiver.

"Oh no oh no oh no," she whispered, covering her mouth. "He came to pick me up and now…it's all my fault…" Alexis groaned and pushed her way out of the phonebooth, gasping as she stumbled into someone on the sidewalk outside. "Sorry, I-."

"Alexis?" Alexis looked up at the person she had hit and gulped at the imposing gray eyes of her former best friend.

"Zane, thank god!" she panted. "You have to help me!" Zane's eyes immediately narrowed.

"What's going on?" he asked. Alexis started to answer, then stopped herself. Wait a minute. Zane despised Aster, he had nearly ruined Zane's career. Would he really be willing to help find him? Would he even care? "Well?" Zane repeated. Alexis bit her lip, and Zane scowled. "Fine," he growled, pushing past her to walk away. Alexis watched him for a moment.

"Aster's been kidnapped!" she blurted.

Zane stopped in his tracks.

**As a note, what do you guys think of this whole Schroeder subplot? I don't want it to seem tacked on or something, I need something besides the tournament to keep the story going, and I hope the Schroeders are suitable villains for the time being.**

**D-Soul**

**Spell**

**Remove up to 3 Destiny Hero monsters in your Graveyard from play, and Special Summon a number of DarkSoul Tokens (0,0,Warrior-type, Dark Attribute, Level 1) equal to the number of monsters you removed. DarkSoul Tokens cannot attack or be offered as Tribute for a Tribute Summon.**

**Soul Bomber**

**4 Star DARK Zombie**

**ATK: 1600**

**DEF: 1000**

**By removing this face-up card from play, remove up to 2 monsters in your opponent's Graveyard from play and place a number of Soul Counters equal to the number of monsters removed on a monster.**

**Soul Reaper**

**8 Star DATK Zombie**

**ATK: 2500**

**DEF: 2000**

**This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 monster with 3 or more Soul Counters on your side of the field. When a monster is removed from play, place 1 Soul Counter on this card. Once per turn, remove 2 Soul Counters from this card toactivate one of the following effects.**

**- Special Summon 1 of your monsters that has been removed from play. During the End Phase, remove that monster from play. You cannot Special Summon a monster more than once by this effect.**

**- Remove from play one monster on the field. **


	14. Digging Up The Past

The Darkness of Destiny

BTW, a poll has been started in my profile! Please vote for your favorite OC of mine!

Chapter 14

Digging Up The Past

The doors of Mokuba Kaiba's office burst open, and the young businessman looked up as Alexis walked up to his desk.

"Hey, who are you, you can't barge in here!" Mokuba protested, jumping to his feet. Alexis narrowed her eyes and leaned over the desk.

"You're Mokuba Kaiba, CEO of the Leagues, right?" Alexis demanded.

"That's 'Mr. Kaiba' to you. Why?" Mokuba scowled. Alexis opened her mouth to answer.

"We have some information for you, so if I were you I'd settle down," Zane said muttered, strolling through the doors behind Alexis. Mokuba turned his gaze his wayas he sat down.

"Is this about the tournament, Mr. Truesdale? I'll gladly field any questions you have, as long as you make a proper appointment," Mokuba said. Zane snorted.

"Aster Phoenix, we think he's been kidnapped," Alexis explained. Mokuba's head whipped back to face her.

"What?" he gasped. Alexis nodded.

"His manager Sartorius Hikari called me less than an hour ago to tell me he picked me he had left in his limo to pick me up at the Kaiba Dome, and he never showed up. Sartorius confirmed he had left on-time. When I called his cell phone just ten minutes ago, someone else answered," she continued. Mokuba frowned.

"This is bad. We have to wait twenty-four hours before we can file a police report though. But I'll see what I can do here," he replied. He went to his computer and began typing. Alexis waited for a moment as the younger Kaiba worked.

"Pick you up?" Alexis turned as Zane stared at her. "Sartorius said Aster was going to pick you up, or so you said. Why?" Alexis blushed slightly, although she wasn't sure why.

"Well…he's been helping me with my dueling career, giving it a jumpstart," she said.

"And his help extends to giving you joyrides in his limo?" Zane continued. Alexis scowled. Why did Zane care, it wasn't as if what she did with her life was any of his business.

"He considers me his responsibility while I'm living with him, if you must know," she growled. The second the words left her mouth, she clamped her hand over her lips and gulped. Zane's eyes visibly widened.

"_Living_ with him…" he muttered.

"Well, in a few days, Sartorius' first payment clears the banks and I'll be moving out shortly after," she replied. "Do you…mind or anything?"

"I don't know," Zane said coldly. "Should I mind that the girl who was once my best friend is now living with my greatest rival?" Alexis flinched, but any reply was interrupted by Mokuba's muttered curse.

"Dammit," he said, sitting back in his chair. "Aster's not showing up on our satellites."

"Should he be?" Alexis asked.

"Every Kaiba Corp Duel Disk is equipped with a unique radio signal for our satellites to pick up, along with a corresponding ID code and duelist profile. If Aster's not showing up, then he either dropped off the face of the earth, or his Duel Disk has been tampered with," Mokuba explained.

"So what can we do?" Alexis said. Mokuba thought for a moment, the opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out some sort of electronic device. It was a black box about the size of someone's wallet, with two cores sticking out of it. Mokuba picked up one of the cords and plugged it into the USB port of his computer. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and plugged the other cord into the headphone jack of the phone.

"Dial Aster's cell phone," he said, handing the phone to Alexis. Alexis nodded and took the device, dialing and handing it back to Mokuba. He tilted his head to hold the phone between his ear and shoulder while he typed.

"What is that?" Alexis asked, tapping the black box.

"It'll track the signal and pinpoint Aster's location. As soon as they answer for even a second, they'll light up on my map like a Christmas tree," Mokuba replied.

"Is that legal?" Alexis gasped. Mokuba gave her a pointed look.

"No, which is why I don't own one," he said slowly. Alexis nodded as he kept typing, eyeing the phone out of the corner of his eye. After a moment or two, the black device began to hum.

"Who is this?" Mokuba asked. Alexis waited. "Look, where's Aster you scumbag?" Mokuba cried. The person on the other end must have said something strange, because Mokuba's face scrunched up, and his eyes went wide a moment later. "Schroeder, is that you?" he gasped. The black device quieted down, and Mokuba withdrew the cell phone, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"What is it?" Alexis asked.

"I'm not sure," Mokuba replied, tapping his chin. "I could swear I knew that voice though…I was recording the conversation, and I should be able to get a rough idea of where Aster's phone answered from. It'll take a while though. You should go home. I'll contact you with further information when I have it."

"Alright. I'm currently living at Aster's house, with his manager," Alexis supplied.

"Right, I can get the address and phone number from his duelist profile then," Mokuba nodded. "Thanks for this." Alexis nodded back and left the office. Zane stared at Mokuba for a minute before following. Mokuba looked at the files and software on his computer and sighed.

The Underground Leagues had existed almost as long as the Professional Leagues. But no one knew where they had come from. The dueling arenas located around the city slums, the top-notch secrecy, the security. There was no way something as organized as the Underground Leagues sprang up overnight. Someone had to be behind it all, someone with the money, power and motivation to undermine Kaiba Corp's grip on the dueling world.

"And I've got a pretty good idea who that could be," Mokuba muttered, beginning to type on his computer. Seto was not going to like this…

- - - - - - - - - -

"Right this way, sir," Shroud said, pushing open the iron door before them. Mr. Thunder surveyed the room beyond with a scowl. A large steel briefcase was in his left hand.

"Yeesh, this place is a dump," he muttered, beginning to walk around. The entire room was covered with dust and barely lit by a few overhead lights that were still working.

"It's been abandoned for some time. Superstition about Zane an' all," Shroud explained. Thunder nodded and went to the edge of the cage. He raised a hand and ran a finger gently over the delicate edgings where the iron of the cage had been blown apart.

"So, this is what you were looking for?" Shroud asked. Thunder nodded. "Good, then where's my money?" Shroud demanded.

"Here," Thunder muttered, tossing him a roll of bills. Shroud caught it and counted the money.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he replied, tipping his hat. He left and closed the door behind him. Thunder looked around.

"Alright. Time to get to work," he said, putting down his briefcase on a nearby table.

- - - - - - - - - -

Aster's world returned in a blur. He blinked away the flashes of light and groaned. His head was pounding a vicious headache. He lifted his head to message his temples.

"Aspirin, Herr Phoenix?"

Aster gasped and lifted his head. He was sitting at a large table in the middle of an amazingly well furnished room, even better than his own at home. A soft gold-orange carpet covered the floor, and a large painting of a horse-mounted female warrior hung against the far wall. The room was bathed in a soft glow from twin overhead lights. Food covered the table, including rolls, a fondue pot, stuffing, and even a whole chicken.

"You again!" Aster roared. Zigfried ignored his outburst and sipped a glass of wine on the other end of the table with a small smile. Aster tried to stand, and gasped as cool metal hit his neck. He craned his head to see a short length of chain connecting the back of the chair to a loose iron collar around his throat. He looked down. His hairs were free, but his legs were shackled to the chair.

"Now now Herr Phoenix, don't be so angry. You're my guest," Zigfried chuckled, wagging his finger. "Something to eat? I'd imagine you're hungry, you've been sleeping for several hours now."

"Can it freak! Let me go!" Aster demanded. Zigfried raised a hand. A man in a suit appeared from behind Aster and placed a pair of red painkiller tablets on the table in front of him, before filling a glass with ruby wine from the table and placing it beside them.

"Zey vill take care of ze headache," Zigfried explained. Aster looked down at the pills. Knowing so little about the man, he had no intention of taking anything he was offered. "Oh, alvight, your choice. But please, if I had vanted to kill you, vemember you vere unconscious for some time. If I vanted you killed, I wouldn't do it under ze pretense of a meal," Zigfried scoffed. Aster scowled. He had a good point there. Still, better to not take any chances.

"Why did you kidnap me?" Aster demanded.

"It's quite simple, Herr Phoenix. You are going to help me destroy Kaiba Corp," Zigfried replied.

"I'll never do anything for you!" Aster snarled.

"I beg to differ, Herr Phoenix. Indeed, if I have let you go, zen my plan vould still verk. Tell me Herr Phoenix, what do you know of the ze Underground Leagues?" Zigfried asked.

"Too much for my liking, why?" he muttered.

"Vell is just so happens zat somevon in ze tournament is von of our best duelists. Can you imagine ze scandal when Kaiba Corp's champion falls to the Schroeder champion?" Zigfried chucked. Aster gasped.

"Zane works for you!?" he cried.

"Vell, not zat he knows, but Herr Truesdale will be enlightened very soon. Vonce my spies are finished with Kaiba Corp, not only will their entire Duel Disk mainframe crash deeper zan za _Titanic_, but both you and Herr Truesdale will be under my employ. Kaiba Corporation will crumble like a cheap oil painting in a rainfall."

"Nice metaphors, you're a poet," Aster growled. "But I'd rather die than do anything for you."

"I'm quite sure you vould, Herr Phoenix. But my spies have been vatching you for some time now," Zigfried smirked. "I know you vould be perfectly villing to forfeit your own life, being such a hero or so you think. But vould you be villing to risk the life of another to foil my plans?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aster asked.

"All in good time, Herr Phoenix," Zigfried said, standing up. "Now, I have business to attend to. Feel free to have somezing to eat. I'll be back for you in time." Zigfried walked behind Aster, and he heard a door open and shut, leaving the duelist alone in the room.

- - - - - - - - - -

"You know he'll never willingly agree to help us," Alicia scowled, following Zigfried down the stairs. The luxurious room he had left was the top room of a rather large warehouse at the Domino waterfront. A handful of such warehouses acted as Zigfried's staging grounds for business in Domino. Normally he stayed in Germany and let Alicia runs the Leagues. But when she had called him and mentioned taking down Kaiba Corp, he had flown into town as soon as possible.

"Yes, vich is vhy my back-up plan has already been placed in effect," Zigfried replied, stepping down to the floor of the warehouse. It was largely bare, save for some odd crates and steel beams here and there. Storage was saved for the other warehouses. "Every man has his price, Alicia."

"Nothing you can pay will change his mind. Aster Phoenix is nothing if not stubborn," Alicia replied. Zigfried smirked.

"Not all prices are paid in bills and coins, my dear," he chuckled. He held up a small, silver cell phone and flipped it open. "Behold, Herr Phoenix's cell phone," he explained. Alicia raised a thin eyebrow. Zigfried dialed star-six-nine and waited while the phone rang. He held out the phone to Alicia as it picked up.

"Mokuba Kaiba speaking," the voice said. Alicia's eyes widened as Zigfried's grin widened and he hung up.

"Now tell me, my dear, how do you zink it is zat Herr Kaiba got ze number for zis phone?" Zigfried asked. Alicia gasped, and a knowing smirk crept across her face. "Now, come my dear. Ve're going to have a little party to celebrate the destruction of Kaiba Corp, and ze guests of honor could arrive at any moment."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Do you honestly mean to tell me that sniveling little worm Zigfried is screwing with my company again?" Kaiba growled.

"That's right. If that voice that answered Aster's phone is who I think it is, then the Schroeders are definitely up to something," Mokuba explained. Kaiba stood and turned, looking out the window.

"Whatever Zigfried's planning must have something to do with the tournament I began. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have acted sooner?" he muttered. "It doesn't matter. I've shown up that freak twice already, and I'll do it again if he tries anything."

"It's not that simple Seto, we have no idea what he's planning or where he is. He's being a lot more discreet than last time," Mokuba reminded. "And, there is something else." Mokuba tossed a file on Kaiba's desk. Kaiba turned and flipped it open. "I did a little research. Just after the KC Grand Prix, the Schroeders made a deal with Pegasus to market Duel Monsters in Europe."

"I know, then I threatened to cancel all our contracts if he did, so Pegasus backed out, and Schroeder Corp folded like a house of cards less than a year later," Kaiba agreed. "I know that Mokuba."

"Did you ever realize it was two years later that the Underground Leagues formed, just months after we began the Professional Leagues?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba froze and looked up. "I did a little check on Schroeder's employees before they went under. Check it out," Mokuba said, waving his hand at the file. Kaiba flipped it open and read the papers inside.

"Thomas Shroud?" he muttered. "I've heard that name before."

"Yeah, he's suspected of being a top-ranked promoter in the Underground Leagues," Mokuba explained. "And there's more. A couple years ago, and just recently, he's been Zane Truesdale's agent."

"So it seems the Schroeders are involved in the leagues," Kaiba admitted. "I had my suspicions, but this confirms. Good work Mokuba."

"Yeah, but like I said, recently he's been Zane's agent," Mokuba repeated. Kaiba looked up. "Think about it, Seto. Aster's been kidnapped as some sort of ploy to destroy our company again. If anyone has reason to try it, it's the Schroeders. But, the plan involves Aster. And if anyone out there has reason to want Aster's taken out, who would it be?" Kaiba thought for a moment.

"You said Zane came in to report the kidnapping with Alexis Rhodes, right?" he asked. Mokuba nodded. "Then I suggest you find her and talk to her right away. I think Zane has a little explaining to do."


	15. Pawn In a Game

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 15

Pawn In a Game

_Ding-dong_

Alexis heard the distant ring of the doorbell, and heard Sean's crisp footsteps as he moved to answer it. She had gotten maybe an hour worth of sleep last night, two hours tops.

_"This is all my fault,"_ she thought, staring up at the ceiling. _"Aster got kidnapped because he was looking out for me. The little bastard, I never wanted his help in the first place!" _Alexis ended the string of angry thoughts before they began. Despite the fact she hadn't wanted Aster's help, she couldn't deny he had gone out of his way to help her several times. Why she didn't understand.

"Ms Rhodes?" Alexis sat up as Sean softly opened the door to her room. "I believe you should come with me," Sean continued. Alexis nodded and got out of bed as Sean closed the door. She quickly got dressed and stepped out of the room. Sean led her down to the lounge.

"Good morning, Ms. Rhodes," Sartorius nodded. Alexis was surprised. Aster's manager was wide awake and had been for some time. In a chair on the other side of the table was Mokuba.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked, moving to sit on the other end of the sofa from Sartorius.

"I've got a lot tell you," Mokuba said. "What do either of you know about the Schroeders?"

"Not much," Sartorius admitted.

"I've heard of them, but don't know much about them. They ran a company that folded a few years ago."

"Yeah, Schroeder Corp and Kaiba Corp were big rivals back when my stepfather and Woden von Schroeder ran it over twenty-five years ago. About ten years ago, the Schroeder Corp CEO Zigfried von Schroeder tried to take down Kaiba Corp using a series of computer viruses to destroy our databanks during a tournament. We barely saved our files, and our company's reputation. A few months later he cut a deal with Maximillion Pegasus to market Duel Monsters and holographic projector systems for the game in Europe. But that was about the time my brother Seto and Pegasus had entered negotiations for the Professional Leagues. When Seto got wind about Schroeder, he threatened to pull every contract he had ever signed with Pegasus. So Pegasus naturally had no choice but to call the deal off. Schroeder Corp declared bankruptcy less than a year later."

"So what do these guys have to do with Aster?" Alexis asked.

"About two years after the Schroeders vanished, we began the Professional Leagues. And two months later, the Underground Leagues began to spring up. We still have no idea how. The Underground Leagues weave deep into the black market and are heavily shrouded in secrecy, money, and mystery. And the higher up you progress in their ranks, the bigger a threat you become to them as you learn more. I'll tell you now, the Domino PD has about half a dozen unsolved murders believed to be connected to the Underground Leagues."

"You think they kidnapped Aster because he was a threat to them?" Sartorius frowned. "But why now? Aster has been champion for two years."

"Yeah, I'm getting to that," Mokuba sighed. "See, I did a little background check. Over two dozen people who were employed to the Schroeders before they folded are now suspected to be involved in the Underground Leagues. One of them is named Thomas Shroud, and we have evidence he was once Zane's manager, and may be managing him now." Alexis swore she felt her blood run cold.

"You think Zane has something to do with this?" she whispered.

"I think it's too early to rule out any possibility or make any irrational judgments," Mokuba explained. "But I know for a fact Zane's one of the top-ranked duelists in the Underground Leagues. And he's Aster's biggest rival. Aster's disappearance means the Underground Leagues, and Zane, now have a pretty clear path to the championship of the Professional Leagues. If Zane wins that title…"

"Then Kaiba Corp's reputation would be ruined overnight," Sartorius finished. "Your greatest rivals would have triumphed in your own tournament against your own champion." Mokuba nodded. Alexis stood up and marched towards the door. "Where are you going?" Sartorius asked.

"I'm not going to listen to this," Alexis muttered, looking over her shoulder. "Zane's done some bad things, but he's not some sort of industrial spy or saboteur. You don't know him like I do. He wouldn't do something like that, not even for the championship." Alexis left the room, and Mokuba sighed.

"Her trust is admirable, but foolish," he said. Sartorius smiled.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," he quoted.

* * *

"Cyber Kirin is becoming less useful, but he's a good counter for Power Bond," Zane mused, looking over his cards on the table. "If I replace him with that trap it gives me more versatility, but I'm short a monster…" Zane rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. He picked up a stack of cards from a suitcase beside him on the sofa and leafed through them. "If I replace Cyber Kirin with Des Wombat, I'll have a better monster for attacking, but Wombat isn't compatible with my other Machine cards…"

"Zane."

Zane looked up at the muffled voice from the door. He stood up and walked to the doors, sliding back the chain and pulling it open.

"Alexis? How did you get here?" he frowned.

"Cab and a phonebook," she replied. "Can I come in?" she asked. Zane thought for a moment.

"Sure," he said, stepping away from the door. Alexis followed him inside and sat in a folding chair on the other side of the table while Zane went back to adjusting his deck. He looked through the other alternatives to Cyber Kirin, but his mind was shifting back to the young woman sitting silently across from him.

Damn it, why did she do this to him? She kept distracting him, even when she wasn't there. It didn't make any sense, why did he keep letting her get close? She was part of his life at Duel Academy, part of the life he had left behind. By all accounts he should have just told her to leave now and forgotten about her and focused on the tournament. So why didn't he?

"So, what's up?" he muttered, not looking up. He picked up Exploder Dragon and picked up another stack of cards, looking through them.

"Zane, does the name Schroeder mean anything to you?" Alexis asked. Zane shook his head, paying more attention than he had intended to. Grey Wing would help get more cards into the Graveyard and had higher power, but it didn't have the destruction powers of Exploder Dragon…

"No, why?" Zane reaffirmed.

"Well, Mokuba came to visit Sartorius and me today," Alexis explained. Zane's eyes narrowed. Oh yeah, Sartorius, Aster's creepy little manager. Zane had heard of him during the GX Tournament a couple years ago. Apparently the guy had some trouble with aliens, or so the rumors among the tournament duelists had gone. One way or the other the guy looked the type to have such troubles. Who the hell had forehead piercings and purple hair?

"And?" he muttered.

"Well, there's a lot of evidence to show the Schroeders run the underground leagues. We think they might have kidnapped Aster as some sort of plot to take over Kaiba Corp," Alexis continued.

"Fascinating," Zane lied, picking up a card from the table.

"There's something else though. See, Mokuba did a little background check. Before the Schroeders went bankrupt and their company collapsed, their employees…some of them are believed to be working for the Underground Leagues now. One of their old employees was a guy named Thomas Shroud."

The Polyermization card slipped from Zane's grasp and fell on the table with a small sound. Zane's eyes narrowed as Alexis leaned forward.

"Zane, I know you're involved with the Underground Leagues, so…I'm going to ask a question, and I want the truth," Alexis whispered. Zane looked up, his eyes blank. Behind the cold mask, rage welled up. Shroud. A lot more pieces clicked into place in Zane's brain. "Do you know Shroud, Zane?" Alexis asked. Zane stared at her for a moment.

"Yes," he said, trying to keep his voice even. The anger may have been great, but Alexis didn't deserve to be the unlucky victim of it. Zane had a good idea who _did_ deserve to feel his wrath, though. His eyes strayed to the dark Duel Disk on his arm that Shroud has used to collar him like a rogue dog. Shroud was a lot of things, but he didn't have the brains to set this scheme up, to set _him_ up. Shroud would pay, and whoever they were, the Schroeders would pay too.

"Then, did you know about Aster's kidnapping?" Alexis asked, her eyes narrowed. Zane growled and stood up suddenly, turning away.

"What are you asking, Alexis?" he hissed, clenching his fist. "What do you want to me say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth," Alexis replied, standing up behind him.

"The truth? Or do you want me to tell you what you already _think_ is the truth?" Zane sneered, whirling around. Alexis stepped back. "Say it, Alexis, I know you're thinking it, and that means that little Kaiba runt and Sartorius think it too. Go ahead, Alexis, ask me if I planned Aster's kidnapping. Ask me if I know who did it, ask me how long I've planned it, go ahead."

"I've never accused you of anything!" Alexis defended.

"Oh? Then you coming to my apartment out of the blue, asking me about Shroud and the Schroeders and if I know them, I wasn't just imagining that?" Zane asked.

"Zane, please, you used to be a good and respectable man…" Alexis started.

"_Used_ to be!?" Zane snarled, stepping towards her and kicking the table out of the way in the process. Alexis gasped and stumbled back against the wall, although Zane didn't pursue her. "As in, 'I'm not anymore'? So then tell me, what changed Alexis?" Zane demanded. Alexis' face suddenly hardened, and Zane frowned, stepping back.

"You did," she said coldly. Zane's face twisted into shock before he turned back around, his eyes closed.

"Zane, I don't know what happened to you all those years ago to turn you into this," Alexis whispered. "But whatever it was took something from you. You're a top duelist Zane, but you gave up something to get to the top, and it wasn't worth it. The Zane I went to Duel Academy with would never act like this." Alexis was silent for a moment before continuing. "Now, I want you to answer me. Did you have something to do with Aster's kidnapping?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you," Zane growled.

"That's true," Alexis nodded, heading for the door. "But it seems to me, maybe you've got a few things to prove to yourself." Alexis left the apartment, closing the door behind her with a click. A moment later, Zane's fist shot forward and imbedded itself in the wall with a thud, making a large dent in the drywall.

* * *

The soldering gun smoked as Zigfried withdrew it from the microchip. He blew on the chip slightly before lifting it and placing it inside the hollow section of the Duel Disk. He snapped the wire from the man circuit board to the new one, and reached around to turn on the device. The Duel Disk whirled out with a click, and the small pink light on the new circuitry lit up. Zigfried smiled and replaced the metal panel covering the two, then picked up a screwdriver and a small screw.

"Master Zigfried." Zigfried stopped and turned as a man in a white coat held out a small tray. A stack of dueling cards lay on top. "I altered the programming on the cards as per your specifications," he explained. Zigfried stood and picked up the top card from the stack. Destiny Hero Bloo-D.

"All of zem?" he asked, raising his eyes.

"Yes sir," the scientist nodded. "The spies called this morning. Both of them have implanted the programs into Kaiba Corp's databanks, and neither detected any trouble from the security team or the system's firewall programs."

"I vould not zink so," Zigfried smiled turning back to screwing down the metal plate on the Duel Disk. "Herr Kaiba vas always a little too arrogant to his own good. Just look. Here my game vith him ist almost over and he hasn't even arrived at ze table yet." Zigfried screwed in the last screw and picked up the Duel Disk, sliding Aster's deck into it.

"And ze warehouse?" Zigfried said, looking the device over. To the naked eye, it was a standard-issue Kaiba Corporation Duel Disk MKII. But if anyone were to look inside it, or even underneath it at the four black disks situated inside the armband…

"The welders are completing the construct as we speak," the scientist replied. "Alicia is prepared and ready to begin any moment."

"Zen come, ve must not keep a lady vaiting," Zigfried said, walking to the door with the Duel Disk. He pulled a cellphone from his pocket and dialed.

"It is time to end our little game."

* * *

_"What _did _happen to you, Zane?" _Alexis wondered quietly, walking down the street. _"You used to be my best friend, but back there, I was almost afraid of you. What could have changed you so much?" _

Alexis' pocket vibrated suddenly, and she stopped, reaching inside and pulling out her cellphone.

"Hello?"

_"Hello Ms. Rhodes. Do you know who zis is?" _ the caller answered. Alexis looked around and ducked into an alley.

"Zigfried?" she hissed.

_"Very good Ms. Rhodes," _Zigfried chuckled.

"You snake, where's Aster?" Alexis demanded.

_"Now now Ms. Rhodes. I assure you, Herr Phoenix is perfectly fine, but how long he stays zat vay is up to you," _Zigfried replied. _"Now believe me ven I say any attempt on your part to inform anyvon of zis call vill result in Herr Phoenix's rather untimely demise, so try and keep zis to yourself."_

"Fine, I'll play along," Alexis growled, looking down the alley at the street. If what Mokuba had said about the Underground Leagues was true, Zigfried's threat wasn't an empty one. He probably had someone watching her at that moment.

_"Good. You have exactly von hour to come to ze docks at Domino City, alone. If you do zis, I give you my word Herr Phoenix will remain unharmed,"_Zigfried said.

"Why should I trust you?" Alexis asked, glaring at the phone.

_"Because at ze moment, you have no other choice. You're just von of many pawns in my game, Ms. Rhodes, I am in no way obligated to prove my sincerity to you. As I said, you have von hour," _Zigfried laughed. The line went dead a second later, and Alexis snapped the phone shut angrily.

"A pawn in his game, huh?" she muttered, staring down at the phone clenched in her fist. "We'll see how much fun he finds this when I find him."

**I realized I've only been updating once a month, and with my intended length for this fic, that basically means I'll be writing it next Christmas. So from now one I'll try and update twice a month, but if not, I guarantee you won't wait longer than previous updates.**

**Yes, those little metal things are Sartorius' forehead are body piercings, I know, I've seen someone on TV with the same thing. It's not pretty though, as I recall small metal plates have to be implanted in your skull, and the piercings screw into them like, well, screws. I have no further information about the subject, but this _is_ the Internet, so I'm sure it's out there somewhere.**

**Anyway, I'm almost done the set-up. Next chapter the real fun begins. Zigfried may not have access to the Millennium Items, but he's devised game so deadly it rivals any Shadow Game Marik or Bakura ever concocted…**


	16. A Duel to the Death

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 16

A Duel To The Death

Alexis ran down the street, her eyes glancing down at her watch every few seconds.

"_I'm coming Aster," _she thought, turning a corner. Finally, she reached the boardwalk east of the seaport, and ran down the wooden steps, narrowly missing several people who turned and shouted at her as she passed them. The wooden planks of the boardwalk ended with a concrete staircase down to the Domino seaport. The crowds ended, and Alexis looked around.

"Zigfried!" she cried, running down the rows of warehouses. _"Where is he?" _she thought, turning a corner.

"Halt!" Alexis skidded to halt and spun around. An armed security guard stepped out behind her from the doors of a warehouse. "You're trespassing on private property," the guard snapped.

"Where's Zigfried?" Alexis snapped. The guard smiled.

"Ah, you must be Alexis Rhodes. Mr. Schroeder told us to be expecting you," he chuckled.

"Well you got me here, so where is he?" Alexis repeated.

"Relax, we've been told to take you to him," the guard said. He held open the door he had come from. "After you," he offered. Alexis walked towards him and narrowed her eyes.

"Is this some sort of trap?" she hissed.

"Yeah," the guard shrugged. "Of course, we've got your little boyfriend Aster, so do you really have a choice?" Alexis growled.

"I'm not playing your games," she muttered.

"On ze contrary Ms. Rhodes." Alexis's head snapped to the side as Zigfried appeared in the doorway of the warehouse. "You're role in my game is about to become even bigger," Zigfried explained. Alexis felt something wrap around her face, and she struggled as she was lifted into the air by the guard. Her feet kicked backwards to no avail.

"My, she's a lively von," Zigfried smirked. "Take her inside, ve're about to start,"

"Yes sir," the guard nodded, taking the struggling duelist into the warehouse.

* * *

Zane walked down the street with his eyes down, he looked up and gasped. His eyes widened, then narrowed again. The man stepping out of the cab ahead of him caught his eyes and cried out, turning around and running down the street. Zane ran after him and grabbed the back of his coat, turning down an alley and flinging the man to the asphalt. His cloak pushed itself over his head as his hat rolled away.

"Shroud, you twisted little worm," Zane hissed, watching his manager groan and push himself up. "Where have you been slithering the last few days?"

"Zane, stay away from me!" Shroud yelled, backing away from him. Zane lunged, and Shroud screamed and turned to run. Zane grabbed Shroud's hair and swung him into the brick wall face-first. Shroud screamed as his teeth rattled and he tasted blood.

"Schroeder, Shroud! That name mean anything to you?" Zane asked.

"Not a thing!" Shroud insisted.

"Wrong answer!" Zane roared. He pulled Shroud back to the ground, putting a boot on his chest and kneeling down. "The Schroeders, Shroud! Kaiba Corp's biggest rivals. Kaiba Corp runs the Pro Leagues, the Schroeders fund the Underground Leagues, quite a coincidence, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, yes I'd agree!" Shroud cried.

"Really?" Zane muttered, grabbing the front of Shroud's shirt. He swung the man to his feet and pressed him back against the wall, holding him by his collar.

"Please don't hurt me…" Shroud whimpered, his feet kicking the wall.

"Shut up and stop whining, it's pathetic," Zane ordered. "So tell me Shroud, how long did you think you could string me along, huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Shroud asked, blinking.

"Let's see, you express an interest in me just before Kaiba Corp starts a tournament, and then Aster gets kidnapped. I'd say you've got some talking to do Shroud, and you can start with explaining your little scheme with the Schroeders."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shroud insisted. A fist slammed into Shroud's jaw, and he cried out.

"Strike one," Zane hissed.

"Zane, please…"

"Wanna go for strike two?" Zane asked, holding back his fist.

"Alright alright!" Shroud wailed. Zane lowered his fist as his manager gasped for breath. "Zigfried and his wife, they own the Underground Leagues, they've run the thing since day one. They hired me on as a promoter. Then when one of our spies got wind of Kaiba's tournament a month ago, they came up with a plan to take over Kaiba Corp. So they had me rehire you."

"So, I was expected to win the whole tournament and then just kindly let you all use me to destroy the company?" Zane sneered. "Do you think I'm just an idiot you can order around?"

"That Duel Disk on your arm and the shock generators inside it say yes," Shroud snickered. Zane tightened his grip on Shroud's coat. "Look, Alicia and Zigfried made the plan, I just helped!" Shroud continued. "Then you started winning by smaller margins, so they thought they'd go straight for Aster in case you lost."

"And what about me, huh?" Zane demanded. "You forget about me and swipe Aster, where does that leave me?" Shroud winced.

"In case anyone found out about our connection to the scheme…you would be framed for it and take the heat off of us," he explained. Zane growled and dropped Shroud onto the pavement.

"Where is Zigfried?" he said coldly.

"I don't know…" Shroud whispered. Zane reached down. "The seaport, he has a warehouse at the seaport!" Shroud wailed as Zane grabbed his neck.

"Good," Zane said, standing up. "And in the future, Shroud, the next time you see me, you better pray I don't see you." Zane turned and walked down the alley. Shroud watched him before reaching a shaky hand into his pocket and pulling out a small phone. He dialed and watched, nursing his jaw. The phone picked up after two rings.

"It's Thomas. We may have a problem…"

Zane marched onto the street and headed for a cab on the curb. A man with a briefcase was walking towards it. Zane pushed him aside and pulled open the back door.

"Hey, that's my cab!" the man protested.

"Not anymore," Zane replied, climbing inside and closing the door.

"C'mon man, not cool," the driver said. Zane reached into his pocket and tossed a fifty onto the passenger seat.

"Domino seaport," he said. The driver picked up the bill and whistled.

"Yessir!" he nodded, grabbing the steering wheel.

* * *

"Wake up Phoenix."

Aster's eyes blinked open, and he looked up as a burly man in a security uniform unlocked the shackles on the chair. Another man behind him held out a Duel Disk.

"Master Zigfried has ordered you to put this on and come with us," the guard said, pulling back the edge of his jacket. Aster locked his eyes on the guard's holstered pistol as the second pulled him to his feet. Aster reached out and took the Duel Disk, taking out the deck and looking at it. It was his deck. He put the deck back in the Duel Disk.

"Come with us," the second guard said. Aster turned and followed him through the door to a long hallway lines with doors. Acknowledging the footsteps of the guard following them, Aster followed the one in front of him into an elevator. The three stepped inside, and one of the guards pressed the button for the ground floor. The steel structure lurched to life and hummed as it descended.

As the doors opened, Aster saw a large room with a single door on the opposite end of it. In front of said door, Zigfried stood next to Alicia. The rest of the room was well decorated with wall-mounted lamps and a small oak desk in front of Aster. A small silver briefcase lay propped against the back of a chair.

"So, now what?" Aster sneered, stepping out of the elevator.

"Velcome Herr Phoenix, to ze end game," Zigfried chuckled. "It is in zis very voom zat you shall lose everyzing you value."

"We'll see," Aster scowled.

"Yes ve vill. Now, approach ze desk," Zigfried instructed. Aster hesitated for a moment before obeying. The two guards moved down, and Aster lowered his head to watch as two metal shackles chained to the desk clamped over his ankles.

"Here you go, Herr Phoenix," Zigfried said, sliding a piece of paper and a pen across the desk.

"What's this?" Aster scowled, picking up the paper.

"A contract to Schroeder Corp and ze Underground Leagues," Zigfried explained. "If at any time ze game gets too much for you, zen just sign ze contract and ve vill end ze game immediately."

"I'm not going to do that," Aster snapped, throwing the contract over his shoulder. One of the guards placed it back on the desk.

"Vat a pity," Zigfried sighed, closing his eyes. "Alicia my dear, bring in ze second participant of our game." Alicia nodded and opened the door behind her.

"Let me go!" Alexis shrieked, struggling with two guards as they dragged her in by her arms.

"Alexis!" Aster cried, straining against the chains around his legs.

"Aster?" Alexis said, growing still. "What's going on?"

"Good question," Zigfried said. The two guards pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped one around Alexis' wrist before bringing the chain up over one of the lamps on the wall and cuffing the other wrist. Alexis pulled at the lamp, her feet barely touching the floor. Next, Zigfried approached and reached into his pocket, withdrawing two small, black metal bands with small spikes. He clicked them open and slipped one over Alexis' wrist.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pulling at the handcuffs.

"You're going to help us break Herr Phoenix, will, body und spirit," Zigfried explained, clicking the other cuff into place. "Vell, Alicia my dear, ze game is yours." Two of the security guards followed Zigfried out of the room, the other two staying behind Aster. Alicia picked up the briefcase nearby and flipped it open, picking up a Duel Disk and sliding it onto her arm.

"So, what are the rules of this _game_?" Aster spat.

"They're quite simple. Duel me and win, and you're both free to go," Alicia said with a smile. "But if I win, both you and Alexis here become duelists in the Underground League."

"That's it?" Aster laughed.

"Aster will wipe the floor with you!" Alexis shouted. Alicia smirked.

_"Oh, I have no doubt of that," _she thought. _"In fact, I'm counting on it_."

"Well, shall we begin Aster?" she asked, turning on her Duel Disk.

"It'll be a pleasure," the pro replied, activating his own disk. "Let's duel!"

-Aster LP: 4000, Alicia LP: 4000-

* * *

"It's really quite ingenious, if I say so myself," Zigfried chuckled, walking out of the warehouse. "By ze end of ze duel, even if Herr Phoenix wins, he'll be in no position to compete in the tournament. Zere is quite literally no vay ze plan vill fail. Now, let's go und get ze chopper veady, ve need to get out of here as soon as possible in case zose wretched Kaibas find us."

"Are you sure you want to leave sir, don't you want to watch your wife's duel?" one of the guards approached a stationary helicopter on the docks

"Zat is not needed, Alicia can handle Aster and Alexis on her own," Zigfried replied. "Vith ze type of duel I designed for her, ze is no way ve can lose."

"The game's already started, huh?"

Zigfried and his guards stopped as Zane walked down the concrete peer towards them.

"That's a pity. I guess I'll just have to play with you three," he finished.

"Mr. Schroeder, allow us," one of the security guards said, pulling out his gun. His partner followed suit.

"Schroeder?" Zane scowled, narrowing his eyes. "You must be Zigfried."

"Zat I am, and you must be Herr Truesdale," Zigfried said. "I see Thomas couldn't keep his mouth closed."

"I hope you have the same problem," Zane said, walking forward again.

"Stand back kid," the guards said, cocking their guns and raising them.

"Now now gentlemen, Herr Truesdale is our top client," Zigfried coaxed, holding up his hands. "He has come all zis vay looking for me, it is all I can do to indulge him, its only polite."

"Good to see you're so eager," Zane smirked as the guards holstered their weapons.

"Yes, but a request, if I may," Zigfried called, turning and leaning inside the helicopter. "If you veally vant a go vith me, Herr Truesdale, zen how about ve solve our little spat ze vay I did vhen I vas your age?"

"How's that?" Zane asked. Zigfried turned out of the copter and took a few steps forward. Zane lowered his gaze slightly and smirked. A rather old but functional Generation 1 Duel Disk was on Zigfried's arm.

"I know you little urchins zese days are so violent, but if you can calm down and face me like a civilized young man, I may be villing to talk about your involvement with us," Zigfried said.

"You want to duel me?" Zane sneered. "This isn't some kiddie game like they played during Battle City, old man. You don't know what you're up against." Zigfried bristled slightly at the 'old man' remark, but regains his composure.

"Vell if you're so confident, zen zere should be no trouble, vight?" he asked.

"Whatever," Zane said, activating his Duel Disk. "This duel won't take long."

"I quite agree," Zigfried nodded, turning on his classic Duel Disk. "Alvight Herr Truesdale, let's see how good ze favorite to vin ze title _veally_is!"

-Zane LP: 4000, Zigfried LP: 4000-

"I'll start," Zane said, drawing. "I summon 'Volcanic Dragon' (2200, 0000)!" The large red dragon appeared on Zane's field with a roar, spreading its wings wide. "Then I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

"Zat move vas pathetic," Zigfried scoffed.

"Then you do better," Zane countered. "Let's see if your dueling skills are as old and outdated as that Duel Disk on your arm."

"I assure you, my techniques may be a little out of date, Herr Truesdale, but ze true beauty of my deck far surpasses zose violent var machines you use," Zigfried said, sliding a card into his Duel Disk. "I activate ze Spell card 'Graceful Charity'. Zis lets me draw three cards as long as I discard two." Zigfried drew and placed the cards in his hand before slipping two others into the discard slot. "Now, let's see vat I drew," he smiled, lifting his hand. His eyes widened slightly.

"Vell Herr Truesdale, it seems zis duel is over before it even began," he chuckled, looking up. He reached out and took a card from his hand. "It is time to, how do you urchins say it…go 'old school' on you." Zigfried held his card into the air with a smirk.

"Vith zis, ze ultimate Spell card 'Vide of Ze Valkyries!"

* * *

"I'll begin our little game," Alicia said, drawing. "I play 'Poison Rose' (500, 500) in defense mode." A small pile of thorns grew up from the carpeted floor, budding and blooming into a dark violet flower blossom. "What a lovely flower, isn't it? I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Is that all?" Aster said. "That little rose bud is nothing, I'll clip it like a weed."

"Then go ahead and summon a monster. With only five hundred defense points, my lovely little rose is nothing to your hero cards," Alicia replied.

_"She's trying to psyche me out, but it won't work," Aster thought, looking down at his hand. "Even if that rose has an ability, I won't know until I attack, and the only way to get Alexis and me out of here is to win. So I have no choice._"

"I summon 'Destiny Hero Dunker' (1200, 1700)," he announced. The dark-skinned hero rose from the floor in a flash of light, flexing its arms. "Dunker, that rose into compost!" Aster commanded. Dunker ran across the field and swung a large arm into the flower. Alicia cringed as a blast of smoke burst up from the impact. "So much for that plant," Aster smirked.

"Don't count your flower buds before they bloom," Alicia advised as Dunker leapt back in front of Aster. "Observe." The smoke cleared, and Poison Rose continued to sit in front of Alicia.

"No way!" Alexis protested.

"Afraid so, Poison Rose can't be destroyed in battle, as long as I'm willing to discard one Plant card from my deck to the Graveyard that has more attack points than the monster she battles," Alicia explained. "I'll send 'Mystic Tomato' (1400, 800) to the discard pile to save my little blossom. My Plant has fourteen hundred points, and Dunker has twelve, so your attack fails!"

"Fine, I'll find another way to take it out," Aster scowled.

"Before you do that, Poison Rose has another ability. Whenever she's attacked, one card in your hand is discarded to the Graveyard," Alicia said. Aster shrugged and discarded 'D-Spirit'.

"I don't need that card anyway," he said.

"Perhaps, but it's time to take something you _do_ need! I reveal my Trap 'Magical Thorn'!" Alicia laughed. Aster looked down and gasped as thorn-covered brambles burst from the floor and wrapped around his legs. "Since you just discarded a card, my Trap inflicts five hundred damage to you!" Alicia said. Aster scowled, then screamed as an electric shock tore through his body a moment later.

-Aster LP: 3500, Alicia LP: 3000-

"What…was that?" Aster gasped, clutching his chest.

"That's the effect of the electric shock generators my dear husband installed in your Duel Disk," Alicia snickered. "Every time you lose Life Points, you'll feel as though they were ripped from your body!"

"That's insane!" Alexis protested.

"That's how we duel in the Underground Leagues," Alicia countered. "Get used to it, because every duel you ever play after this will be exactly the same!"

"So you have a similar stipulation?" Aster clarified.

"I do," Alicia nodded.

"Good, then I'll discard 'Destiny Hero – Disk Commander' from my hand," Aster continued. He cringed as another shock burst through him. "Thanks to Dunker's effect, I can discard a Destiny Hero to deal five hundred damage to you!" Dunker leapt up and lifted its hand as a giant ball of energy appeared in its palm. It hurled it down at Alicia with a roar.

-Aster LP: 3000, Alicia LP: 3500-

"Let's see how you like getting the jolt!" Aster said. Alicia shrugged. There was a beeping sound, and then…

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

"Alexis!" Aster shouted. Alexis collapsed and hung limply by her handcuffs, the black bracelets Zigfried had placed over her wrists smoking slightly. Alexis groaned and panted for breath.

"I said a _similar_ stipulation," Alicia lectured. "Every time you take damage, you'll be shocked Aster. But if I take damage, then its your friend Alexis who takes the pain."

"You…." Aster growled. "I forfeit then!"

"Aster, no!" Alexis urged.

"No, I won't duel, not like this, this is practically cheating!" Aster explained. "Neither of us is gonna be hurt, I refuse to duel!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Alicia said, pulling a small remote control from her pocket. "I control the manual override for the shock systems connected to both of you. So if you think Life Point damage is the only way to make you both suffer, think again."

"Then…" Aster whispered, looking down at his Duel Disk.

"There's only two ways out of this duel, Aster!" Alicia mocked. "Surrender and sign that contract to Schroeder Corp, or defeat me!" Aster looked up with a stunned look. "The question you need to ask yourself, Aster, is what matters more? Alexis' life, or your career? And I'd figure it out quickly if I were you, because the longer this duel takes, the more punishment I can inflict on you!" Alicia laughed.

"By the time this duel is over, both of your bodies and spirits will be broken, and you'll be loyal employees of Schroeder Corp!"


	17. The Power of the Underground

The Darkness of Destiny

Chapter 17

The Power of the Underground

"Prepare for a force unlike anyzing you've ever experienced before Herr Truesdale!" Zigfried declared. Zane raised a hand as wind whipped back Zigfried and blew his coat back.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"Zis is ze power of my Vide of Ze Valkyries spell card," Zigfried explained. "Now I can summon every Valkyrie monster I hold in my hand. Now, please velcome my three divine divas of destruction! 'Valkyrie Erste' (1600, 1800), 'Valkyrie Zwei' (1600, 1600) and 'Valkyrie Dritte' (1000, 1600)." Zigfried's three horseback warriors descended onto the field in front of him. "Now it's time for zeir special effects to activate. First, my Valkyrie Zwei destroys von monster on your side of ze field." Zwei raised her sword and pointed it at Zane's Volcanic Dragon. The flaming beast roared as a beast of light burst from Zwei's sword and struck it in the chest, before vanishing in a flash of light. "Next, Valkyrie Erste's effect removes zat monster from play, and gives its power to her." Esrte (2200) raised her sword and let out a cry as it grew bright red. "And finally, for every card removed from ze game, Valkyrie Dritte gains 100 points!" Dritte's (1100) horse reared as Dritte's sword glowed blue.

"Vell vell, it looks like ve veached ze finale before ve even began. Auf Wiedersehen Herr Truesdale," Zigfried chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. Zane glared. "Now, Valkyrie Dritte, attack Herr Truesdale directly!" Zigfried commanded, flinging out an arm. Dritte's horse jumped into the air, and Zane raised an arm as Dritte rode the steed down, slashing her sword across Zane's back. "Und now, Valkyrie Zwei, give him some more!" Zwei reared up and galloped forward as Zane stood up, and he cried out as Zwei sliced at his chest. Zane collapsed to his knees and clenched his eyes shut. "Stay down, Herr Truesdale, vhere you belong! Valkyrie Erste, end zis duel now!" Ertse rode forward and leapt up, bringing her sword down on Zane in a blast of smoke. "I believe victory is mine, Herr Truesdale," Zigfried smirked.

-Zane LP: 200, Zigfried LP: 4000-

"Don't be so sure," Zane sneered, standing up. "Check my Duel Disk," he said, looking down at the display. Zigfried's eyes widened.

"Impossible, how did you survive?" Zigfried gasped.

"You seem to have forgotten, I had a card face down," Zane replied. "It was my 'Shrink' card, and it cuts Erste's attacks points in half, down to 1100. So I was able to survive your little onslaught."

"Barely," Zigfried scoffed. "Now I place von card face down und end my turn."

"Remember, thanks to the side effect of Ride of the Valkyries, all your monsters are shuffled into your deck now," Zane said.

"Zat means nozing to me," Zigfried shrugged, picking up the cards from his Duel Disk and shuffling them into his deck. "My lovely ladies have done more zen enough damage to you, you've only got a few hundred points, and zey von't last long."

"Longer than you will. My move," Zane growled, drawing. "You made a fatal mistake Zigfried. Your Valkyries are gone now, leaving you wide open for a direct assault! I summon 'Cyber Phoenix' (1200, 1600)!" The glittering metal bird rose in front of Zane in a shroud of flame, spreading its wings to disperse the fire with a screech. "Cyber Phoenix, direct attack!" Zane commanded, flinging his arm out at Zigfried. Cyber Phoenix opened its beak and fired a blast of fire across the field.

"I am afraid zat attack is of no use Herr Truesdale!" Zigfried called. "I activate my Trap card 'Loge's Flame'!" A wall of light blue flame shot up from the ground in front of Zigfried, intercepting Cyber Phoenix's attack. The fireball vanished, and the firewall died down.

"What was that?" Zane snapped.

"Fighting fire with fire, of course. Loge's Flame automatically negates the attack of any monsters vith less zen 2000 attack points," Zigfried smirked. "So your pathetic machine is much to zeak to penetrate my defense."

"Fine then. You know what kind of cards I have in my deck. It's only a matter of time before I find a way to break that wall down," Zane replied. "I end my turn."

"Very vell," Zigfried said, drawing. "I vill draw, und end my turn."

"That's it?" Zane muttered.

"Vhy not, it's not like you can do anyzing, my Loge's Flame has halted your monsters in their tracks," Zigfried reminded.

"We'll see," Zane said, drawing. He looked down at his hand and furrowed his brow._"He's just stalling to draw another card to summon those Valkyries again. I barely survived the first time he summoned them. I can't let that happen again. I have to beat him before he draws the card he waiting for."_

"Time is money Herr Truesdale, and I'm a vealthy man," Zigfried taunted.

"Yeah yeah. I play 'Cyberdark Lion' (1000, 300) in defense mode, and switch Cyber Phoenix to defense mode as well." The black feline kneeled down in front of Zane, sparks crackling along the jagged metal spikes that served as its mane.

"Hiding behind pathetic defenses like zat is pathetic," Zigfried laughed, drawing.

"Look who's talking," Zane replied. Zigfried looked at his hand.

"Ah vell, no good. I pass zis turn as vell."

"You can't stall forever," Zane growled. "I draw, and activate the Spell card 'Graceful Charity'. Now I can draw three cards, as long as I discard two of them." Zane drew, and smirked. "Well, seems I found a way around your Trap Zigfried."

"Oh veally?" Zigfried scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh _veally_," Zane mocked. "I discard 'Infernal Dragon' (2000, 0000) and 'Fusion Guard'. And now the stage is set for this card!" Zane held up the card from his hand. "I activate the Spell card 'Cyberdark Impact'! This card returns 'Cyberdark Horn', 'Cyberdark Keel', and 'Cyberdark Edge' from my hand to my deck." Zane took out his deck and shuffled the three machine cards into it. "Now I can summon my ultimate machine card! Meet 'Cyberdark Dragon' (1000, 1000)!" Zigfried cried out and stepped back as the giant black and gray dragon rose from the water in the ocean behind Zane. The mechanical beast roared loudly.

"Now I'll use its effect. First, it equips itself with a dragon from my Graveyard, and absorbs its attack points. I'll choose my Infernal Dragon." The black dragon appeared hovering underneath Cyberdark Dragon, and the monstrosity's loose circuits wrapped around the dragon in a shower of sparks. "Next, for every other cards in my Graveyard, it gets another hundred points. I count six cards, giving my Dragon a total of 3600 points!" Cyberdark Dragon roared again as a dark aura wrapped around its body. Zigfried's eyes went wide.

"You can't!" he protested.

"I can! Cyberdark Dragon, attack Zigfried directly! Dark Spear Blast!" Zane commanded. The dark aura pulsed and gathered around Cyberdark Dragon's mouth. The dark energy spewed forth in a barrage of jagged-black arrows, and Zigfried cried as the spears exploded around him, throwing him back into the side of the helicopter behind him.

-Zane LP: 200, Zigfried LP: 400-

"Just one more turn and you're finished," Zane sneered as Zigfried slowly climbed to his feet, pushing away his bodyguards.

"Don't be so sure," he growled, drawing. Zigfried looked at his card and smiled. "Behold, Herr Truesdale, you got in a lucky short, but von shot is all you shall gets! I activate ze Spell card 'Nibelung's Treasure'! Zis lets me activate 'Nibelung's Ring' from my deck und place it on your side of ze field!" A large, glowing silver ring appeared over Zane's field and slipped onto Cyberdark Dragon's body, shrinking into place and sparking.

"What did you do to my dragon?" Zane demanded.

"Ze power of Nibelung's Ring prevents ze monster equipped with it from attacking. Und zere's more, ze effect of Nibelung's Treasure also lets me draw five new cards." Zigfried picked up his cards and smiled. "I place two cards face-down, and activate ze Spell card 'Gryphon's Feather Duster'. Now by destroying all Spell und Trap cards on my side of ze field, I regain five hundred life points for each of zem." The wall of fire from Loge's Flame whirled away as Zigfried's three holograms shattered.

-Zane LP: 200, Zigfried LP: 1900-

"You made a mistake there," Zane smirked. "You may have regained some Life Points, but you lost Loge's Flame, so now you can't block my attacks anymore."

"You'll understand in a moment, Herr Truesdale," Zigfried scoffed. "First, ze two face-down cards I sacrificed were 'Pegasus Vings' und 'Apple of Enlightenment'. First, ze effect of my Apple lets me draw von cards since I just removed it from ze field. Zen, ze second effect of Loge's Flame activates! Since it was just removed from ze field, I can summon from my hand ze lovely 'Valkyrie Brunhilde' (1800, 2000)!" Zigfried's newest Valkyrie galloped onto the field, riding a pristine white horse and dressed in bright blue armor.

"Now Herr Truesdale, vhat were you saying about my losing in von more turn?" Zigfried chuckled. Zane narrowed his eyes and growled.

* * *

"Well Aster, ready to sign that contract?" Alicia laughed. Aster growled.

_"I can't duel, not if the stakes are this high," _he thought, looking up at Alexis. _"If I don't duel, my career and Kaiba Corp are finished. But if I keep dueling, Alexis' life is in danger. And the longer I take deciding what to do, the more damage Alicia can do to me."_

"Hurry up," Alicia called. Aster gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

"Aster…" Alexis grunted, shaking off the tingles from the last spark. "You have to duel, you can't afford to lose this."

"And you can't afford for me to win this either!" Aster protested. Alexis shook her head.

"I'll be fine. You know me, I'm tougher than she thinks. Beat her and gets us out of this mess!" she ordered.

"How very touching. I think I'm about to vomit," Alicia muttered. "It really doesn't matter, you're going to lose anyway Aster, you might as well surrender and save the two of you the agony."

"Not likely," Aster replied. "Come on, just make your move, it's your turn."

"If you insist," Alicia said, drawing. "First, I'll activate my face-down card 'Thorn Barrage'." A series of vines grew from the ground beside Alicia, twisting around each other and blooming six rose blossoms to form a biological minigun of plants and leaves. "During each of my standby phases, this trap card inflicts 200 damage to you for every Plant monster in my Graveyard." The first rose blossom glowed and fired a yellow beam of energy into Aster's chest. Aster screamed as another jolt of electricity shot through his body.

-Aster LP; 2800, Alicia LP: 3500-

"You look a little worse for the wear, Aster," Alicia taunted. "How about a little help?"

"No thanks," Aster coughed, glaring.

"Too bad. I activate the Spell card 'Rain of Mercy'. This rain restores both of our Life Points by a thousand points!" Alicia said.

-Aster LP: 3800, Alicia: 4500-

"Why would you restore my Life Points?" Aster asked.

"Because the more you have, the more I can take away!" Alicia smirked. "I summon 'Rainbow Flower' (400, 500)" A small potted plant with multi-colored leaves shimmered into position on Alicia's field, small eyes blinking in its center. "Rainbow Flower's special ability lets it bypass your monsters and attack directly! Rainbow Flower, show him what I mean!" Rainbow Flower growled and hopped across the field, jumping up and slamming its flower pot into Aster's head. Aster cringed and stumbled back as more electricity shot up his arm.

-Aster LP: 3400, Alicia LP: 4500-

"It's…my turn," he grunted, drawing. "I sacrifice my Dunker to summon 'Destiny Hero - Double Dude' (1000, 1000)." Aster looked up at the suited hero as it rose up in front of him, twirling its cane.

"What good is that going to do?" Alicia laughed. "Do you really plan to attack me?" Aster looked over at Alexis, and the female duelist nodded.

"Sorry Alexis," Aster said. "Double Dude, attack her Rainbow Flower now!" Double Dude leapt up and burst out its suit, turning into a muscle-bound monster. The deformed hero slammed its palm into Rainbow Flower. Alicia smirked and turned her head as Alexis screamed, the black bracelets on her wrists flashing red.

"Ouchie," she snickered.

-Aster LP: 3400, Alicia LP: 3900-

"I place a card face-down and end my turn," Aster said.

"Alright. I draw, and the effect of Thorn Barrage inflicts 200 damage to you for every Plant card in my Graveyard," Alicia replied. Aster cringed as more pain shot through his body.

-Aster LP: 3000, Alicia LP: 3900-

"How…can you duel…like this?" Aster groaned out, clutching his chest.

"Get used to it. That's the way of the Underground Duel. It takes a lot out of you – mercy, compassion, hope, fear, and replaces them with strength. All that matters in this world is power, and once you've dueled in our world, you'll never be the same to win! To succeed in the Underground Leagues, you have to do anything to win!" Alicia recited. Aster's eyes widened slightly.

_"So, this is what the Underground Leagues are like…doing anything to win… is this what Zane went through when I beat him?" _he thought, reflecting on his greatest rival with a wince. _"I think I get it now. Underground Duels…Zane, no wonder you hate me so much."_

"I play the Spell card 'Pot of Greed', and draw two cards," Alicia said, picking up the cards. She looked at her hand and peeked over them at Aster.

_"I see it in your eyes, Aster. You've only begun to experience the power of the Underground," _she thought_. "Pain, suffering, these are the prices you'll pay for success, and in time you'll learn to accept these hardships willingly. Let go of your inhibitions and you emotions, and strike at me with everything you have regardless of the consequences. This duel will mold you into the perfect champion for us. By the time we leave this warehouse, not only will you work for Schroeder Corp, you'll _revel_ in it!"_

"I activate the Spell card that will seal your doom!" Alicia laughed. "The Spell card 'Painful Choice', although I suspect it's not quite as painful as the choice you're about to make soon. I select five cards from my deck, and you select one of those cards to go to my hand, and the other four are discarded." Alicia pulled her deck from her Duel Disk and fanned it out, choosing her cards. "I select these," she said, holding out the cards. "The cards 'Dark Plant', 'Laughing Flower', 'Man-Eater', 'Bean Soldier' and 'Snakeyashi'." Aster gasped.

"Oh no!" he cried. "Five Plant monsters!"

"Correct. I frankly don't care which one of them you pick, all I care about is getting four more monsters in the Graveyard, and I'm sure you know what that means," Alicia said. Alexis watched from the side of the room, shocked.

_"If Aster doesn't pull a comeback soon, he won't have enough time to,"_she thought. "Come on Aster, you can beat her, don't give up!" Alexis cheered.

"I…you can take Dark Plant," Aster sighed. Alicia folded the other four cards up and slipped them into her Graveyard.

"Good. Next I summon 'Vampire Orchis' (1700, 1000), and use its effect to Special Summon 'Des Dendle' (300, 2000)." A large tree with a vicious mouth appeared, toothy buds snapping from vines on its sides. Beside it, a large rock covered in yellow and green moss rose from the floor. "I'll use Des Dendle's effect to Union it with my Vampire Orchis." The tree crawled over onto the rock, lashing out dark green roots and wrapping them around it. "Vampire Orchis, attack Double Dude!" The tree lashed out its snapping vines. The tiny mouths bit into the suited hero, carrying away the shreds of its clothing as it shattered. "And when Vampire Orchis destroys a monster while in Union with Des Dendle, I can summon 'Wicked Plant Token' (700, 700)." A dark green seed dropped from Vampire Orchis, sprouting into a thorny flower with a black blossom. "Wicked Plant Token, attack!" A cloud of purple poison vapors floated over Aster, and he threw his head back with a scream as more electricity shot through him. The shocks stopped, and Aster crumpled forward to the ground.

"I'll finish your torture by activating the Spell card 'Mass Driver', and offer my Vampire Orchis and Wicked Plant Token as Tributes to inflict a little more damage," Alicia smirked. Aster twitched limply as the Duel Disk shocked him again. Wisps of smoke rose from his gray suit after the jolts ended

-Aster LP: 1000, Alicia LP: 3900-

"It's over. On my next turn, Thorn Barrage will inflict 200 damage for every Plant in my Graveyard. I count nine Plants. You can't win now, Aster. You've lost!" Alicia sneered.

"NO!" Alexis cried. "Aster, get up, you can't give in!" Aster let out a small moan and put his hands on the floor to push himself up.

"Al..exis…I…can't…" he whimpered. His arms shook as he put a knee down to steady himself, the groan. His arms pitched forward as Aster slumped down with a groan.

**Sorry for the wait, but given that this chapter was just straight-out dueling, it took me a little longer.**

**Also, given my decreasing involvement with the GX fandom, as well as the end of the original series, I've come to a decision. This shall be what a friend of mine called 'my swan song' – my final Yugioh fanfic. Come this end, I'll be unofficially retiring and focusing on my Inuyasha stories. But do not worry, for this is my final Yugioh fic and I promise you all, I shall go out with a blaze of glory and make my last story one to remember!**


End file.
